Schlarafia is one of the few Serbian companies that has existed for 90 years. It all started as a craft workshop, so today we are talking about a company that preserves traditional master skills while innovating
The high standards set a long time ago are based on the idea of excellence in materials, workmanship, communication with users… Despite constantly raising standards, the focus is primarily on the people who make up this company, thanks to whom it is an established manufacturer of premium equipment for sleeping.
As the person who heads the company, how do you see Schlarafia ’s development?
— Given the scant history of domestic entrepreneurship, we, like most, had a very ‘low start’. Given the nature of the product we market and the dynamics of its demand, it was not expected that our development would be rapid, especially in terms of the market.
However, we used this very fact to base Schlarafia on the uncompromising quality of first of all our products, and at a later stage our services. The high standards we have set are based on the idea of excellence, whether in materials, workmanship, the way we communicate with users, all the way to our subsequent care of them.
In your view, what are the greatest challenges in Schlarafia ’s business and what are your main tasks as a leader?
— For many years, the main challenge was the very narrow market segment, against the great determination to maintain the quality standards of sleep products. The changes were not only due to the growth of purchasing power, but as the scope of consumer habits broadened, investment in high quality sleeping equipment took on a new meaning. After raising the bar of standards and introducing innovative materials and technical solutions, my focus is primarily on the people who make up Schlarafia.
I think about my colleagues more than about our customers, and this results in our staff of 35 thinking very dedicatedly about our customers.
I think about my colleagues more than about our customers, and this results in our staff of 35 thinking very dedicatedly about our customers. We managed to make Schlarafia an attractive employer, although the movement of personnel from corporations to domestic companies is generally noticeable.
Schlarafia is an established manufacturer of premium sleeping equipment on the local market. How do you see your contribution to this and what are your further plans?
— I came to Schlarafia from my primary profession and for a long time I thought of this as a weakness, but later it turned out that my experience as a medical biochemist in the management of laboratory diagnostics services grounded me in the skills needed for my current position. Insistence on accuracy and precision, attention to detail, integrative thinking, quick decision-making, synchronizing teams, working with individuals – I acquired all this through my work in healthcare and applied it with ease in the process of modernizing the company. Now that we are leaders on the local market, it is time to confidently expand to foreign markets.