KLS Ljubno d.d. – Zlata gazela (“Golden Gazelle”) 2011

26.10.2011
On 26th October 2011 the selection of news publisher Dnevnik for zlata gazela (“Golden Gazelle”) 2011 was brought to an end at Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana. This year zlata gazela (“Golden Gazelle”) 2011 award was awarded to our company, KLS Ljubno d.d. by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, dr. Danilo Türk.

Among other nominees for the zlata gazela (“Golden Gazelle”) 2011 award featured XLAB srebrna gazela (“Silver Gazelle”) 2011, GMT bronasta gazela (Bronze Gazelle”) 2011, Lotrič, Mikrografija and Kolektor Koling.

Explanation of the jury

If intelligence is a prerequisite for wisdom, experience and values are accompanying conditions thereof. All three distinctive features are part of gazela (“Gazelle”) KLS:

• Knowledge and understanding of market demands
• Rich experience in working with people as well as encouraging the relations between them and
• Sports values, which the company nurtures through continuous competition and winning on the global business Olympic Games.

Several years back, the company started anew. After being faced with 94 % loos of the market after the independence of Slovenia, KLS not only survived, but it became one of the most important suppliers of the global automotive industry. Today, they make business globally, by selling 83 % of their products on the international market. In the selected market niche, the Starter Ring Gears production, the company masters 50 % of the European and 13 % of global market. The Rings from Ljubno are built in engines of 26 car producers.

The break-through company has a strong R&D stance: the share of new products and new customers in the total sale has been between 26 % and 30 % for the last years. KLS is also regarded as the company with the highest share of production process (90 %) covered with automated processes and robots. The share of R&D investments is 5 % of annual sales.

KLS has been run by Mr. Mirko Strašek for 40 years now. During all this time they have been focusing on training of the employees and quality. The latter is evident in amazing standard: they record only 1,8 claim per million products. The growth of added value per employee is also worthy of our respect. Based on results and recognition of the values of gazela (“Gazelle”), i.e. the dynamic and sustainable growth, the Gazela Council reached the decision, to award the Zlata gazela (“Golden Gazelle”) 2011 award to KLS Ljubno Company.