Belgrade-based MikroElektronika wants to become largest regional development center

(Nebojsa Matic)

With his business increased by 50 percent last year, the owner and director of the MikroElektronika company from Belgrade, Nebojsa Matic, is one of the few entrepreneurs in Serbia whose company achieves extremely good results and constantly expands and improves operations.

Matic's MikroElektronika produces development boards, compilers, additional plates, software and microcontroller books. This company, which exists for over a decade, reported a growth of as much as 50% last year, so it is not surprising that its owner won the Blic Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 Award against 300 competitors.

- After growing 27 percent in 2011 and nearly 30 percent in 2010, our business grew 50 percent last year. We have been expanding at an average rate of 25 percent since the first year of operations - Nebojsa Matic says to eKapija, adding that it is easy to grow 50 percent in the first year, but that it is not that easy to do that after 10 years of doing business.

As he says, he began production at "his father's garage" in Lajkovac, where one part of the company is still situated. The other part is located in Visegradska Street in Belgrade, where programmers, marketing and sales teams work.

However, they did not stop there. The company has recently bought a business building in Zemun where they plan to bring together all their employees.

- We have about 60 workers, who all work in a 400 square meter space. Now we want to move into a 3,000 sqm building where all our employees will be at one place, which will make our operations much easier.

New workers

Apart from moving into a new space, our interlocutor says that their main business plan at the moment is to hire new workers.

- We need minimum 36 new employees only to fill current vacancies. The men we hire must be able to make progress and improve as well as contribute to the company. Because good companies are only those employing good people – says Matic.

He adds that a manager should do everything to create a company where he would like his children to work. This is a mantra that even Matic constantly repeats because, as he says, he would like "his daughter Lena to work at MikroElektronika."

Products for smart homes

MikroElektronika exports 99.8% of its production. However, our interlocutor himself would like to increase sales in the Serbian market.

- I would really like to do that because our products turn users into independent people who are capable of earning for their family and surviving.

MikroElektronika has recently launched a new product - Mikromediaplus.

- This product is very similar to what you get when you remove the plastic from a mobile phone. But unlike mobile phones, this product can be programmed by any person. It will be primarily used for smart homes.

Aside from planning on increasing the range of products for smart homes, their wish is also to increase the number of employees to about 250, which would also enable them to become the largest regional development center in this part of the world.

J.Dj.