Montelektro is a privately owned company established almost 35 years ago in Croatia. Since its beginnings, the company has specialized in industrial automation and has become a regional leader in factory automation and widely recognized as the foremost expert in the brewing industry automation.
Interview with Edvin Šafranko, Chief Executive Officer at Montelektro.
A brief description of the company and its activities.
Edvin Šafranko: Today, with nearly 180 engineers in our team, we stand as a leading technological company offering industrial automation and IT solutions and services, with a strong emphasis on digital transformation, electrical engineering, and power distribution.
With the largest number of references in brewery automation, Montelektro is a market leader. We are also focused on the food and beverage, as well as cement industries, which also represent a significant number of references.
Our offices are located in the Rijeka and Zagreb regions of Croatia, but we operate globally and have ongoing projects on all continents.
Through our long-standing partnerships with leading OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers), we confidently deliver state-of-the-art technologies and solutions to our clients.
What are the main areas of activity of the company?
E.Š: We have powerful automation, IT, and electrical engineering teams that enable us to deliver comprehensive solutions to our clients, covering everything from low-voltage and medium-voltage distribution to the most complex automation systems, along with their seamless connection and integration with ERP.
Delivering such demanding engineering activities sets Montelektro apart as a unique supplier capable of handling the most complex projects.
In general, our main activities are related to sophisticated and complex process control systems for some of the biggest factories in the world. Over the past couple of years, we have gained valuable expertise in replacing highly complex automation systems while ensuring minimal production downtime, which has resulted in new state-of-the-art solutions that connect Process Control System (PCS) with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).
Such projects and solutions ensure the digital transformation of factories and processes by enabling functionalities that were impossible before.
What’s the news about new products/services?
E.Š: By carrying out our projects in the factories, we realized that some parts of factory digitalization are not covered by software available on the market. That is why we decided to take a step forward by developing our own digital tool, which we named DFP—Digital Factory Portal.
DFP provides our clients numerous opportunities to improve and optimize their production processes. In real-time, it collects, saves, and analyzes large amounts of data about the production process, from raw material intake until the end product is ready for delivery.
This user-friendly solution enables product tracking and traceability, production scheduling, immediate visibility of all production process stages, and integration with other systems like LIMS, ERP, and third-party automation systems.
What are the ranges of products/services?
E.Š: In the industries we cover, we can design process control systems for small and simple factories as well as large and complex factories.
Our team consists of highly experienced automation, IT, and electrical engineers, which is our most significant value and competitive advantage.
One of the company’s key successes is forming a skilled and stable team of engineers who can solve any client’s problem with their flexible and agile approach.
Thanks to the knowledge gained from working on various projects over the years, Montelektro became a unique automation partner with extensive expertise in automation and process technology.
At Montelektro, we offer a comprehensive range of services to our clients, from the design, delivery, and installation of Process Control Systems to the design and delivery of MCC and control panels, electrical installation, design of medium—and low-voltage distribution panels, software development, consulting, and maintenance support (Service Level Agreement—SLA).
What is the state of the market where you are currently active?
E.Š: The global economy is facing numerous challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, high inflation in Europe, and various unstable political situations worldwide.
These issues have also affected the brewing industry, our primary market.
All the factors mentioned above have significantly impacted the reduction of beer consumption and the creation of new investments.
This economic situation has reduced orders for large brewing projects. However, due to our global industry presence, we have mitigated the decline in large projects by increasing the number of medium and small projects.
What can you tell us about market trends?
E.Š: Many major producers are shifting their attention to sustainability and achieving net-zero carbon emissions. This business approach will undoubtedly pose a challenge for all parties involved.
As a customer-oriented and socially responsible company, we have already begun implementing sustainable policies within our business.
Montelektro is prepared to support our clients in their journey towards net-zero production and significantly contribute to helping them achieve their goals.
What are the most innovative products/services marketed
We recognized the need for industries to digitally transform their processes, so we developed the previously mentioned Digital Factory Portal (DFP) and Advanced Production Scheduler and are oriented to create similar digital solutions that meet the needs of the future industry.
What estimations do you have for the rest of 2024?
E.Š: We intend to introduce DFP to a wider market and position it with its first implementation in the brewing industry. Despite the absence of orders for large projects, we believe that we will be able to achieve our goals for 2024 and have another highly successful business year.