L
ipik Glas is Croatia’s largest glass manufacturer, its continued success the result of a long tradition that goes back to the early 19th century. It is also able to take advantage of being a part of the Italian Finind Group, one of the world leaders in the glass industry. The company serves a number of industry sectors in which high-quality glass is required. The main types of glass manufactured by the company are thermally tempered and laminated.
An adventure that has paid off Lipik Glas started its international journey in the automotive industry and that sector remains one of its most lucrative markets. “We are an export-oriented company,” says Mr Marin, “with almost 99 per cent of production ending up abroad. The automotive industry is becoming intensively global and if we consider the increase in the car business and competition in the glass sector, it is obvious that we have to maintain diversity and quality in our product portfolio in order to stay competitive.” Lipik Glas got its first big international opportunity in 2003 when Bentley Motors Ltd contracted it to provide glass for its new car
model. This major contract win opened doors for partnerships with well-known international car manufacturers such as Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini, Ferrari, McLaren, Aston Martin, Lotus and Pininfarina. Apart from standard automotive glasses such as windscreens, side and rear windows, partitions and sun roofs, the company also offers specialist grades of glass with acoustic and thermal insulation, bullet resistance and so on. In the railway sector Lipik Glas collaborates with some of the leading manufacturers of railway vehicles (such as the Italian AnsalodBreda, British Bombardier Transportation and so on), specialising in offering not only specifically tailored glasses, but also glasses built into the aluminium frames, ready for final assembly. The company also manufactures glass for ships and yachts and for the construction sector (for facades, barriers etc). It boasts high-quality glass for staircases, featured for example in Apple stores across the globe.
Market presence Lipik Glas intends to increase revenue and production volumes by developing new projects. As mentioned above, almost 99 per
cent of its production is for abroad, mainly the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany. “At this point we are not present in the domestic market because the automotive and railway industries are not developed in Croatia,” says Mr Marin. “As for new geographical markets, we do not choose them randomly, but instead markets are choosing us. If a manufacturer in the USA wants our products, we are ready to deliver fast and efficiently to the automotive and rail sectors.” Since Lipik Glas has always been strongly present in the major European markets, Croatia’s recent incorporation into the EU has simplified logistics somewhat. This means that the company is now an even more attractive prospect to potential customers thanks to faster delivery options.
Shift in production policy In the coming years, Lipik Glas is expecting to increase its production of safety glass, for which it already holds all the necessary certificates. This production policy shift was adopted after an extensive and overwhelming flood of cheap Chinese products experienced by the European glass industry in the past few years.
