CAVIRC.net - The Slovenian Wood Industry Cluster

The Slovenian Wood Industry Cluster: the tradition, the export and the research

The Slovenian Wood Industry Cluster (WCI) was established by wood-processing companies in the year 2002 and it is composed of 24 companies (with around 9.000 employees) and 5 supporting institutions.
Today the cluster represents about a third of the Slovenian wood-processing sector, one of the biggest in the country, as well as the most important research and educational institutions for the wood sector.

http://grozd.sloles.com/en/

The wood industry is one of the traditional production and export activities of Slovenia, which abounds in woody land: approximately four million cubic meters of timber are produced each year from about a million hectares of forest.
The wood-processing companies produce almost every kind of product, ranging from semi-finished, construction fixtures and fittings, to a wide spectrum of furniture. The most important Slovenian trademarks are Javor, Alples, SVEA, Meblo, Lipa, Brest, Marles, Inles, Novoles, LIP Bled, Jelovica...
The annual turnover of companies belonging to the cluster is worth 500 million EUR, of which 54 % is from export (mostly in EU and USA): Slovenian wood manufacturers are net exporters.
Export Country % of exports
Germany 42
Italy 13
Croatia 11
Austria 8
USA 6
Slovenia Partner.com

Accordingly with the export on international markets, the cluster has to adapt to the radical changes happening in the world: knowledge is the deciding factor in progress and competitiveness.
For this reason, the cluster aims to develop research, acquisition of skills, synergies in different fields and exchange of knowledge and experience between cluster members, to create knowledge-based companies.
The aforementioned aim is reached through the cooperation with several research institutions such as:

University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty- Department of Wood Science and Technology
Slovenian Wood Association
Slovenian Wood Industry Catalogue
Branch information portal of CCIS - Wood Processing Association
Holzcluster Steiermark
The Slovenian Forestry Institute
Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute

Also the effective system for managing the cluster's projects has the same aim; objects of the actual activities are:

Obtaining the CE mark for manufacturers of construction fixtures and fittings
Adaptation of lacquering processes in the Slovenian wood industry to reduce harmful emissions of VOC
Modernisation of furnaces to comply with current ecological standards
Providing training and skills for workers and management
Collaborate in preparing the market strategy study for Slovenian wood-industry products
Collaborate in a common activities on the field of industrial informatics
Linking up experts in the fields that are important for wood processing
Collaborate in an EU projects
Miscellaneous support activities

The entire clustering process is expected to mature into an advanced business model which, through the application of knowledge, innovation, modern information technology and cooperation between companies,? will create specific competitive advantages on the global market.