Company History

Metal Product d.o.o. (a limited liability company), an electrical equipment production factory, came into existence with the development of the Šafran Family Workshop, which was founded in 1967 by Stjepan Šafran, and which is still today part of the family business together with Metal Product.

The electrical equipment production programme has been constantly expanded improved and developed since the very start of its operations,. As early as 1969 the first deliveries of electrical equipment were made to Elektroprivreda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, an electrical power utility. As the market expanded and products from both production lines were well accepted, purchase orders increased and so did the number of employees: with only one employee in 1967, in 1971 there were 12.

At the end of 1979 the first insulator bearers were delivered to the African market in cooperation with Energoinvest from Sarajevo and a long-term production expansion plan was adopted, followed by the purchase of a construction site in the Zagreb suburb of Odra, which is where three production plants have been developed so far, with a total surface area of 3,600 m2.

In 1986 a program of casting of aluminium products was introduced, which was needed to expand the electronic equipment program, and in 1989 we purchased the Šikić Foundry and took over its complete operations with 12 employees, who now work as part of Metal Product.

From 1971 to 1990, the Workshop (Radionica) operated in limited conditions for development, due to the socialist system of that time, which did not permit private persons to employ large numbers of people. The maximum number of employees in 1989 was 40, which the Workshop employed. In 1990 the legal regulations changed and these limitations were abolished, which meant that the Workshop could be partially reorganized into a new company, Metal Product, with no limitations on the number of employees. That year work began on building the new plant in Odra, which also made it possible to adopt and expand our electrical program of cable connection and suspension accessories for low, medium and high voltage.

During the years to come, extensive production of low and high voltage suspension accessories was perfected within the framework of the long-term plan. Thus, due to production line expansion, a non-ferrous metals casting programme was introduced in 1986.

In 1991 adoption and expansion of the electrical programme for cable fitting and suspension accessories for low, medium and high voltage in Metal Product marked the beginning of local production in Croatia, thereby decreasing dependence on imports.

In 1994, we began cooperating with Tyco Raychem GmbH, the world famous company from Germany, on the manufacture and distribution of heat shrink cable accessories.

This new success led to the signing of agreements in 1995 with the Finnish ABB, also a world famous company, on the manufacture of medium voltage disconnectors and with Siemens – Norway for equipment supply to the market of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

METAL PRODUCT Sarajevo was founded in 1996 in Sarajevo and today employs more than 20 people.

2001 saw the signing of the Protocol to set up a joint factory known as Wam Product in Breznički Hum with the Wam Group Italy corporation. The factory started operating in 2002 and today employs 75 people.

Again in 2002, a new Metal Product production plant was built in Breznički Hum covering an area of 2500 square meters, which provided for additional expansion and enlargement of the production programme.

Today, the total surface area of the production halls which are part of the family business is 6,500 square meters, with the possibility of additional development and expansion on our own land covering 80,000 square meters.

Metal Product, with the Šafran Workshop, now has about 90 employees and we are involved in the production of the following, with complete infrastructure:

• Production of electrical equipment
• Cable and connection equipment for low, medium and high voltage
• Equipment for insulated and uninsulated above ground networks
• Casting of non-ferrous metals, die-casting, chill casting and sand casting
• Machining

With the constant training of our staff, investment in IT equipment, CNC technology in production and the use of contemporary measuring equipment, we are a reliable partner for quick and quality delivery of products from our basic production program, and for joint cooperation in the development of new products and services.

At this time we are working intensively on the development of our die-casting production program and we are equipped with all the necessary machines and tools.

Despite the global and local economic crisis, we are maintaining our business stability, with very low levels of borrowing, and no mortgage debt on our real estate.