The largest Slovenian exporter is home appliances manufacturer Gorenje. According to Slovenian daily Delo the value of Gorenje’s exports in 2021 reached almost 2 billion euros. This is a staggering figure as Gorenje’s total sales were below 900 million euros before the take-over of the company by the Chinese group Hisense. Since the take-over, the company has successfully restructured and could follow the increased demand for appliances during the pandemic. The 2 billion euros of sales most likely also include the sales of Hisense Europe Electronics’ tv sets manufactured in the location of Gorenje. The new tv plant started its operations in 2021.

Gorenje is followed by two pharmaceutical companies. Lek, a member of Sandoz, a generic drug part of Swiss Novartis, is in second place with 1.6 billion euros of exports. The third on the list of the largest exporters also produces generic drugs: Krka’s last year’s exports reached 1.47 billion euros.

Revoz, the Slovenian plant of French car maker Renault, is in fourth place with 1.2 billion euros of exports. A few years ago it used to be the largest Slovenian exporter: the car manufacturer lost its position on the list mainly because of the high growth of the restructured Gorenje and both pharmaceutical companies.

Two metal processing companies hold firm positions on the list of the largest exporters. SIJ – Slovenian Steel Industry takes fifth place with the value of exports reaching 820 million euros. SIJ is followed by aluminium producer Impol with 800 million euros of exports. Shared characteristics of both companies: both rely on strong R&D and are niche-oriented with specialized and high value-added products.

Adria Mobil is arguably the biggest European brand of caravans and motorhomes with a 10 percent market share of caravans and a 7 percent share of vans and motorhomes in the European market. The value of its exports reached 538 million euros. Adria is followed by BSH Nazarje – a Slovenian subsidiary of large home appliances producer Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte group. Slovenian BSH is specialized in small appliances. The factory in the small town of Nazarje manufactures one-half of the total number of small appliances for the group, including the new smart food processor called Cookit. Nazarje’s excellent R&D lab participated in the development of this innovative product.

Many Slovenian exporters managed to turn the pandemic crisis into an opportunity. The automotive industry was hit by diminished demand. Small and flexible European component producers could on the other hand take advantage of the disrupted supply lines with Asia. Several Slovenian automotive suppliers adapted to the changing demand and shifted from the car parts to innovative specialized tools. Others increased their focus on electro-mobility systems. 

The developers of exclusive or highly specialized products also didn’t feel the negative effects of the covid crisis. 2021 was thus a record year for high-end exhaust system manufacturer Akrapovič. The narrow niche leader shot to 22. place on the list of the largest Slovenian exporters with close to 150 million euros of exports. Similar success was recorded by the leading forestry winch producer Pišek – Vitli Krpan (rank 62, 37.7 million euros of exports) and medical laser company Fotona (rank 36, 91 million euros of exports).

True, many of the companies on the list of the largest Slovenian exporters are downright tiny. Yet a smaller size brings better flexibility. And companies with flexible operations, a strong emphasis on innovation and R&D paired with a clear focus on narrow market niches, are clearly more resilient. These elements are to a large degree typical for Slovenian companies and could explain their exporting success during the pandemic times.