30 years of the TPV Group

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At the solemn ceremony held in Kulturni center Janez Trdina in Novo mesto, where the speaker of honour was Zdravko Počivalšek, the Minister for Economic Development and Technology, the TPV Group celebrated its 30th anniversary of existence.

Over the last thirty years, TPV has grown from a company to a group which today is an important player in the global market of the automotive industry. They sell their products on 4 continents and in 26 countries of the world. With about 1.200 employees, they are located in five sites in Slovenia, they also have a production site in Serbia, and in the coming years they are going to expand their production facilities to the new markets. Year after year, they have been promoting innovations and therefore connecting themselves into development partnerships with other companies and institutions of knowledge. Today they develop products installed in the most high-end vehicles and premium car brands using the most advanced materials and breakthrough technologies of their own development, enclosed in the so called factory of the future. This makes them one of the most distinguished players in the trend of Industry 4.0. In partnership with Böckmann, they are one of the leading and most innovative manufacturers of light car trailers in Europe, and they also have one of the biggest car dealership and service centre in Slovenia.

At yesterday’s ceremony, the guests were first addressed by Mr Marko Gorjup, President – CEO of TPV GROUP, who pointed out that on the 30 year long successful journey TPV has grown from a supplier to a globally recognized development and even pre-development supplier, so their big responsibility now is to continue to develop, enhance and build an even stronger TPV Group. At the end of his speech he especially thanked Mr Vladimir Gregor Bahč, the long-standing Board President and today’s Chairman of the Supervisory Board of TPV GROUP for his determination, courage and a clear vision he demonstrated to take the TPV Group, over the 30 years of operations, to the very top of the automotive industry, in recognition for which he conferred the award of honour on him.

Then Mr Vladimir Gregor Bahč shared his memories with all gathered of the thorny path they walked through in the early years. He said how proud he is of his colleagues and partners who stayed by his side, because »in such bad conditions for doing business, sometimes on the very edge of survival, not even the boldest would have dared to dream that our 30 year old story could have such a happy outcome as that which we are witnessing today.”
The speaker of honour, the Minister for Economic Development and Technology, Mr Zdravko Počivalšek, commended the development and associating orientation of the TPV Group and announced that within the Investment Promotion Act the Ministry of the Economy has approved a support to the comprehensive investment of TPV in the territory of the municipality of Brežice. The total amount of the investment is 49 million €, of which the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology will grant 6,5 million € according to the Investment Promotion Act. The investment will create 50 new jobs, of which at least 20 highly qualified jobs, and therefore represents an excellent opportunity for the development of this border region.

In the name of the Municipality of Novo mesto, Gregor Macedoni, the Mayor of the City, also congratulated the TPV Group on its anniversary and pointed out that whenever he represents the city of Novo mesto at home and abroad, he »is repeatedly confirmed that TPV is, with its quality products, innovations and reliability, an internationally recognized partner of many reputable companies worldwide.”

Tomaž Kordiš, the Director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Dolenjska and Bela Krajina, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of TPV Group, conferred a special recognition of the GZDBK for its contribution to the economic development of the region, for its export-based operations and for its global performance in the industry.

Among numerous activities the TPV Group has been performing during the jubilee year, they did not forget their social responsibility. In the spirit of their vision »Creating mobility of the future«, Mr Marko Gorjup and Mr Vladimir Gregor Bahč offered a modern sports wheelchair to a disabled basketball player Milan  Slapničar. Milan is a permanent member of the Slovenian wheelchair national basketball team, and he also plays in the regional NLB wheelchair league. According to the national team coach Žiga Kobaševič, Milan is currently the best player and the strongest link in the national team. Milan is an example to many, but above all he is a great encouragement to the disabled who, in the beginning, face unimaginable traumas.  The new sports wheelchair, which is specially adapted for basketball,  is lighter, quicker and more agile, so it will provide him an even better mobility in the future.

The ceremony was led by the always charming Bernarda Žarn and enriched by musicians from the Dolenjska region Irena Yebuah Tiran, the accordionists Katarina Štefanič Rožanec and Tomaž Rožanec, and finally by a young percussion band MuwaRuwa Gruva from the Music School of Marjan Kozina, Novo mesto who performed on the TPV Group products.

 

 

ABOUT TPV GROUP:
TPV Group is one of the leading development suppliers operating on the global market of automotive industry. Their core activity, whose main driver is the company TPV d.o.o., is development and production of different components for automotive industry, such as body and chassis assemblies, car seat components and parts, and engine gaskets. Moreover, they develop and provide comprehensive solutions for production logistics management, where the automated guided vehicles, which are result of their own development, are one of the key products. The company is located in five sites in Slovenia– Novo mesto, Brežice, Suhor, Velika Loka and Ptuj – and one site in Kragujevac, Serbia. Due to the needs of customers, they intend to extend their production processes to new markets in the following years.
They are globally recognized as a development and pre-development supplier in the automotive industry. Their development services are purchased by most demanding OEMs for their premium brands like BMW, Mercedes Benz, Volvo, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Land Rover, Renault etc. TPV develops products which have a significant impact on the driving dynamics, safety, ecology and driving comfort.
The TPV Group is besides TPV d.o.o. composed of TPV Prikolice d.o.o., TPV Avto d.o.o. and TPV Šumadija d.o.o., extending their field of operation to sales of new and used cars, program of comprehensive services for car users and program of light car trailers. The latter are developed and produced jointly with the German partner Böckmann. TPV is also one of the partners in the development company called SiEVA, who develops technological competencies and takes part in various research projects.

Silver Award for innovativeness by expert jury of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia for TPV Group

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Yesterday, 25 September 2019, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia solemnly held the 17th Innovation Day at the Brdo Congress Center in the city of Kranj. There were 199 innovations competing at the regional level, but only top 44 innovations were competing at the national level yesterday.

For one of its latest innovations called “Smart Factory Module for Automatically Disassembling Products from KTL with Automatic Product Quality Control after the KTL Surface Addition”, TPV gained national silver recognition at yesterday’s event, which has already received gold recognition by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Dolenjska and Bela krajina region.

The innovation is a smart factory module for removing products from KTL hangers with automatic quality control after KTL surface protection. The sophisticated and advanced technology solution has been developed with the aim to increase productivity, improve quality, ergonomics, safety, reduce labor costs and strive for Industry 4.0, combining all necessary operations into a single one.

The award-winning group of innovators consists of the following innovative individuals: Mišo Pereško, Domen Murn, Miran Ferenčak, Jernej Knežič, Aleš Hribar, Tatjana Lamovšek and Aleš Mohorčič.

 

 

The silver national recognition for the TPV Group is a new acknowledgment of the innovativeness of the company, which has been paying extraordinary attention to the innovation culture and has been systematically and thoughtfully developing it for many years. Innovation is strongly involved in both, work processes and also the employees mindset. This year alone, employees have submitted over 2,000 innovative proposals, and since 2007, nearly 16,000 of them have been systematically collected. However, in January this year at the event Innovation Day, they also opened their innovation system outwards, with the TPV Innovation Station platform. The platform is aimed at the innovative individuals and start-ups who have breakthrough ideas for new products and technologies in the field of mobility and electrification. With its years of experience and connections, TPV Group can help them and turn these ideas into reality.

 

 

 

 

ABOUT TPV GROUP:
TPV Group is one of the leading development suppliers operating on the global market of automotive industry. Their core activity, whose main driver is the company TPV d.o.o., is development and production of different components for automotive industry, such as body and chassis assemblies, car seat components and parts, and engine gaskets. Moreover, they develop and provide comprehensive solutions for production logistics management, where the automated guided vehicles, which are result of their own development, are one of the key products. The company is located in five sites in Slovenia– Novo mesto, Brežice, Suhor, Velika Loka and Ptuj – and one site in Kragujevac, Serbia. Due to the needs of customers, they intend to extend their production processes to new markets in the following years.
They are globally recognized as a development and pre-development supplier in the automotive industry. Their development services are purchased by most demanding OEMs for their premium brands like BMW, Mercedes Benz, Volvo, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Land Rover, Renault etc. TPV develops products which have a significant impact on the driving dynamics, safety, ecology and driving comfort.
The TPV Group is besides TPV d.o.o. composed of TPV Prikolice d.o.o., TPV Avto d.o.o. and TPV Šumadija d.o.o., extending their field of operation to sales of new and used cars, program of comprehensive services for car users and program of light car trailers. The latter are developed and produced jointly with the German partner Böckmann. TPV is also one of the partners in the development company called SiEVA, who develops technological competencies and takes part in various research projects.

Group TPV will support again the Women’s Volleyball Club Novo mesto

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Group TPV, an innovative and high-tech corporation from Novo mesto with the majority of its activities in the automotive industry and with over 1200 employees in Slovenia and abroad, after a few years, again became the general sponsor of the Novo mesto Women’s Volleyball Club, entering the new season with a brand new name – TPV Volley Novo mesto.

TPV has been, through its existence, closely involved in the cooperation with the local environment. Social responsibility is considered to be its moral commitment, which is implemented through the support of sports, cultural, humanitarian, educational and environmental projects, ensuring the development of the environment in which they operate, the environment of their employees.

Social responsibility towards children and youth is particularly important as they tend to spend more and more time in the virtual world. Therefore, the TPV Group emphasize that also companies have to do more to help them direct back to socializing in sports, where the youth learn of co-operation, positive competitiveness, and also that both victories and defeats are part of our lives, by which we must be able to pick up and continue with even greater eagerness.

TPV supported the Women’s Volleyball Club Novo mesto for many years before and on its 30th anniversary, they decided to re-support them again. ŽOK Novo mesto has also been chosen because it is one of the role models in the field of promoting sports among youth. It organizes a free volleyball training for girls in elementary schools in Novo mesto and its surroundings. It also proves its innovativeness with its Mala šola športa, a multidisciplinary project, in which girls and boys in lower grades of elementary school are acquainted with a wide variety of sports and training adapted to the youngest and their general motor abilities. The club has also proved to be an excellent organizer of various volleyball competitions in both indoor and beach volleyball in the last few years. By organizing and participating in various international tournaments, they provide networking, acquisition and exchange of experience aswell.

TPV enters into the story primarily with the aim of strengthening the promotion of healthy life among the youth. “It is an important decision and a big step towards the development of women’s volleyball in the city of Novo mesto, the region and the country. The club, in many innovative ways, encourages the youth to pursue activities, healthy lifestyle and strengthens their sport spirit, significantly contributing to the development of a healthy and responsible society of the future. TPV will undoubtedly stand by them and support them.”- said the new president of TPV Volley Novo mesto, Mr Vladimir Bahč Jr., at the signing of the agreement.

“The youth is our future and we believe that by promoting sports activities, companies can contribute to a healthy and vital young generation, ensuring better tomorrow,” stressed the Group president and CEO, Marko Gorjup, M.Sc.

ABOUT TPV GROUP:
TPV Group is one of the leading development suppliers operating on the global market of automotive industry. Their core activity, whose main driver is the company TPV d.o.o., is development and production of different components for automotive industry, such as body and chassis assemblies, car seat components and parts, and engine gaskets. Moreover, they develop and provide comprehensive solutions for production logistics management, where the automated guided vehicles, which are result of their own development, are one of the key products. The company is located in five sites in Slovenia– Novo mesto, Brežice, Suhor, Velika Loka and Ptuj – and one site in Kragujevac, Serbia. Due to the needs of customers, they intend to extend their production processes to new markets in the following years.
They are globally recognized as a development and pre-development supplier in the automotive industry. Their development services are purchased by most demanding OEMs for their premium brands like BMW, Mercedes Benz, Volvo, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Land Rover, Renault etc. TPV develops products which have a significant impact on the driving dynamics, safety, ecology and driving comfort.
The TPV Group is besides TPV d.o.o. composed of TPV Prikolice d.o.o., TPV Avto d.o.o. and TPV Šumadija d.o.o., extending their field of operation to sales of new and used cars, program of comprehensive services for car users and program of light car trailers. The latter are developed and produced jointly with the German partner Böckmann. TPV is also one of the partners in the development company called SiEVA, who develops technological competencies and takes part in various research projects.

7 awards for inovativeness for TPV Group

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At the beginning of June, the awards for best innovations by regions were presented as a part of the call by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (GZS) for proposals for innovations 2019. TPV Group participated in the call for proposals in three regions where it also operates – the Štajerska, the Posavje and the Dolenjska-Belokranjska region. TPV Group received 7 awards in total; 2 golden, 4 silver and 1 bronze and 31 individual innovators participated in the award-winning innovations.

The following innovations received GOLDEN AWARDS for innovation of The Dolenjska and Bela Krajina Chamber of Commerce (GZDBK):

• “Smart factory module for automatic removal of products from KTL hangers with automatic quality control of products after the operation of adding KTL surface protection”, by innovators Mišo Pereško, Domen Murn, Miran Ferenčak, Jernej Knežič, Aleš Hribar, Tatjana Lamovšek, Aleš Mohorčič, Andrija Puškaš from the Croatian company Pro EL and assistant professor Drago Bračun, PhD, from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Ljubljana. The innovation has also ranked on a national level!

Description of the innovation:
With the aim of continuous improvements to increase productivity, improving quality, ergonomics, safety, reducing labor costs and aiming at the 4.0. industry, we developed a module of smart factory to strip products from KTL hangers with automatic quality control after KTL surface protection. With the innovative solution, we combined all the necessary operations into one. A sophisticated and advanced technological solution replaced the operator’s repeatable movements which consequently occur while working with high-volume products and subjective evaluation of checkpoints.

• “Development of optimal leakage of surface protection medium by changing the design of the product and improving the work process using an innovative welding cell” by innovative authors Miha Končar, Boštjan Piletič, Dario Novak, Marko Redenšek, Marko Malnarič and Ines Rajkovič.

Description of the innovation:
The innovative product design extends the life expectancy of the product itself, reduces the possibility of the failure of the vehicle’s safety system and contributes to a smaller CO2 footprint of the product. The new sleeve design solves the problem of (non) leakage of the surface protection medium, resulting in stagnation, excessive application, and consequent loss of surface protection. The process of innovation is based on an innovative robotic welding cell design combining the classic two-cell design with two robots into one. While eliminating the need for manual manipulation and table rotation, we save on the cost, space and time of the product production. 

The following innovations received SILVER AWARDS:

• “Innovative Design of a Polymer Element for Preventing Fatigue Damage to the Fuel Tank Attachment Belt” handed by The Dolenjska and Bela Krajina Chamber of Commerce (GZDBK). The authors of the innovation are David Stušek, Vili Malnarič, Rajko Marinčič, Jurij Švegelj and Vladimir Anžlovar.

Description of the innovation:
One of the leading truck manufacturers has approached the TPV and the SiEVA research and development teams in order to solve the breakdown of the fuel tank mounting straps of their trucks. The problem caused great concerns to the manufacturer and even higher costs of recalling inappropriate vehicles, as the lane could break due to the rupture of the fuel tank. This would lead to an unprecedented problem: the possibility of causing a serious traffic accident and even an ecological disaster could result in the leakage of more than 100 liters of oil. The buyer intended to solve the problem by stripping the tape or replacing the material with a more solid one, which is not in line with the principles of “lightweight construction” in the automotive industry. The group of innovators developed an intermediate element that effectively prevents the attachment belt from breaking, increase only minimal weight of the assembly and is financially extremely acceptable for the customer.

• “Automation of operating the KTL entrance with AGV” by an innovation team composed of Mišo Pereška, Domen Murn, Franci Košiček, Zdravko Bučar and Aleš Gričar.

Description of the innovation:
The purpose of the innovation is to improve and automate the KTL process by operating automated guided vehicles (AGVs). The goals of the innovation are to shorten the manipulation time of the KTL input material, introduce “micro” planning of the KTL line, and ensure 100% traceability of the material throughout the KTL process (input – manipulation – transfer – KTL protection – output). In general, the KTL process is divided into smaller process assemblies (material / order / stock / manipulation unit). The current KTL process is “extended” to previous operations (welding, hanging) and is completed after packaging. Each level has a material ID and a stock that is executed through production orders, and in between there is a performance of supply / consumption / acceptance.

 

• silver recognition by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Posavje region for the innovation “Autonomous control of the suitability of the thrust lever with seat adjustment function” by authors Mišo Pereško, Veljko Goleš, Uroš Brinc and Domen Murn. The innovation has also ranked on a national level!

Description of the innovation:
In the automated process of product control, we control the quality of varnishing with the machine vision technology. The central part of the line is represented by an industrial camera with a user interface, where we set parameters or control criterias. The camera captures the outer surface of the tube and displays a developed image with located defects at the interface. A test of the internal geometry of the tube is carried out at the exit of the line following the principles of gravity and the system with go – no go gauges. The device places the appropriate tubes in the final packaging or, in case of error, in the ejection bin, according to the information in the control section. Errors are divided into visual surface errors and transient errors (gravity test). The automated packaging assembly of the machine is performed with an empty packaging dispenser in which the system folds automatically the exact number of finished products and then transports the full packaging unit to the operator at the end of the line.

• silver recognition by the Štajerska region Chamber of Commerce for innovation “Development of a family of caravans for dog transportation”. The authors of the innovation are: Željko Šekuljica, Aleksander Karlovčec, Anita Leben, Peter Hajdinjak and Sandi Kramberger.

Description of the innovation:
On the market, there are many strictly dedicated products that do not fully suit the requirements and wishes of consumers due to changeability of consumer’s habits and trends in the direction of modularity, universality and widespread use of the product. Keeping up with the wishes of our customers, TPV Prikolice developed a universal caravan trailer which is primarily designed for dogs transportation, as all necessary standards and recommendations have been followed. Only with minor interventions (removal of barriers), the trailer gains general use and the possibility of transporting different loads.

 

BRONZE award of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Posavje region for the innovation “Manufacturing and installation of smart ejector of NOK pieces on sheet metal forming tool”, by authors Marko Pečarič, Anton Draginc, Miroslav Kuharič and Rudi Crnić.

Description of the innovation:
The TPV Group developed a system for smart ejector of inappropriate pieces, which captures information from the press and tool, and automatically eliminates inappropriate pieces via pneumatic system, smart flaps, sensors and controller. Innovation represents a complete solution that prevents the passage of inappropriate pieces with missing bushings, rivets, nuts, pins, screws and threaded threads. The innovation fully automates the process of checking and ejecting pieces and eliminates the need for an operator.

 

TPV hosted the final presentation of the results of the MARTINA project

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On 6 June 2019 the TPV Group hosted the final presentation of the results of the research and development project MARTINA (Materials and Technologies for New Applications) in Novo mesto. 16 partners from industry, institutes and universities with a complete multidisciplinary approach participated in the development of five areas of materials including new tool steel for work in hot environment, new high-strength steel, new aluminum alloy with a higher share of recycled aluminum, development of multicomponent materials and 3D printing of parts of the tool.

Participating partners are: Kolektor, Impol, Sij Metal Ravne, Talum, Štore Steel, TPV Group, Zlatarna Celje, Jesenice Development Center, Tecos, Vesolje-Si, Chemical Institute, Institute of Metals and Technology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering of the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Maribor, and the Slovenian Construction Institute of Ljubljana.

The MARTINA project began on August 1, 2016 and will end on July 31, 2019, the value of the project is 9.6 million EUR, and the leading partner in the project is the Institute for Metals Materials and Technologies from Ljubljana. The project, which is being carried out within the Strategic Development and Innovation Partnership Materials as Final Products (SRIP MATPRO), is an example of an extremely successful model of cooperation between the economy and knowledge institutions in the field of smart specialization strategy. The project was created on the initiative of the Strategic Council for Metallurgy, which also held its regular meeting on 6 June in the premises of the TPV Group in Novo mesto.

TPV, as a development supplier in the automotive industry and a connector of innovative solutions in the project, has an important role in designing development starting points, as well as in the development itself and the development of prototypes and their testing in a laboratory environment. TPV has been directly involved in the development of a new high-strength steel for automotive seat components, in the development of a new aluminum alloy for lightweight components with load capacity as part of the chassis and bodywork of the vehicle, as well as in the development of components that are a combination of metallic and non-metallic materials. Developers from TPV have thus acquired new knowledge and competences in the field of new materials and technologies of design and merging. “In the automotive industry, new solutions are constantly being sought by using new materials and technologies. “Lightweight”, that is, reducing the mass of vehicles and, consequently, reducing energy, fuel and emissions, is one of the main development guidelines for the development of new vehicles. Regardless of the type of fuel that will be used by the vehicle in the future, the vehicle will have to be easier. In the MARTINA project, TPV has acquired valuable knowledge and competences in the field of new materials and technologies of design and merging, which are crucial in responding quickly to the demands and needs of the market, as well as in the acquisition of new development activities, especially with vehicle manufacturers. “ Marko Gorjup, President – Director of TPV Group.

For future projects and transactions, the value chain is important, and above all the trust that has developed between participating researchers and partners.

Main results of the MARTINA project in figures:
• 211.77 FTE (1 FTE = 1700 hours) of research activities carried out
• 19,415 FTE performed research activities by new employees.
• 122 innovations
• 86 process solutions
• 8 new products
• 2,926,007 EUR of new investments
• 3,606,766 EUR of new investment in R & D
• 46 new mentors
• 106 scientific publications

 

ABOUT TPV GROUP:

TPV Group is one of the leading development suppliers operating on the global market of automotive industry. Their core activity, whose main driver is the company TPV d.o.o., is development and production of different components for automotive industry, such as body and chassis assemblies, car seat components and parts, and engine gaskets. Moreover, they develop and provide comprehensive solutions for production logistics management, where the automated guided vehicles, which are result of their own development, are one of the key products. The company is located in five sites in Slovenia– Novo mesto, Brežice, Suhor, Velika Loka and Ptuj – and one site in Kragujevac, Serbia. Due to the needs of customers, they intend to extend their production processes to new markets in the following years.
They are globally recognized as a development and pre-development supplier in the automotive industry. Their development services are purchased by most demanding OEMs for their premium brands like BMW, Mercedes Benz, Volvo, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Land Rover, Renault etc. TPV develops products which have a significant impact on the driving dynamics, safety, ecology and driving comfort.

The TPV Group is besides TPV d.o.o. composed of TPV Prikolice d.o.o., TPV Avto d.o.o. and TPV Šumadija d.o.o,, extending their field of operation to sales of new and used cars, program of comprehensive services for car users and program of light car trailers. The latter are developed and produced jointly with the German partner Böckmann. TPV is also one of the partners in the development company called SiEVA, who develops technological competencies and takes part in various research projects.

TPV helping Novo mesto to get back the cultural heritage

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TPV is a company aimed at development and progress since the very beginning. We are aware that only new challenges can bring changes

Anton Podbevšek, the most prominent protagonist of the Novo mesto spring, a unique and bold initiator of the Slovenian avant-garde movement, and a model of Slovenian modernists, who introduced a lot of radical novelties on the Slovenian literary scene.

During a recent pulling down of a house in Ljubljana, they accidentally found the original copy of a literary rarity, a collection of poems A Man with Bombs annotated by Podbevšek, and typescripts of a corrected edition which was never published, and TPV at their 30th anniversary of operations and upcoming 100th anniversary of the Novo mesto spring decided to help to return it back to Novo mesto in cooperation with the Miran Jarc Library.

Returning the collection to the city of Novo mesto is an important act towards preserving cultural heritage on both local and national level as it has made it available to citizens of Novo mesto and other interested public in both physical and digital form.

The literary collection along with some other rarities from Podbevšek’s heritage will be offered to the citizens of Novo mesto by Marko Gorjup, M.Sc., the president – Director of TPV Group, and on behalf of the citizens received by the Mayor of the Municipality of Novo mesto, Gregor Macedoni. The collection will find its place in special collections held in the library in Novo mesto.

The ceremony of handing the collection followed by a rich cultural musical program will be held on Wednesday, 5 June 2019, at 18:00 in the atrium of Miran Jarc Library in Novo mesto. Admission free.

Most warmly invited!

Changes in organisational structure in TPV Group

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Companies within the TPV Group operate successfully and have well established themselves in their respective marketing areas. They have different core businesses and use them in their respective product programs or business divisions, i.e. production of automotive components, sales and servicing of vehicles, and production of light car trailers.
With the aim of ensuring more optimal and more transparent operations of each individual company, we have implemented some crucial organisational changes in the TPV Group, clearly specifying roles of the individual company within the group.

TPV Group d.o.o. as a parent company manages the capital investments and investment property and holds the strategic corporate functions of the group, such as corporate governance, strategy, strategic sales and marketing, corporate finance and corporate communications.  On the other hand, the associated companies TPV d.o.o., TPV Avto d.o.o. and TPV Prikolice d.o.o. are responsible for target management of their respective company or division, operationnal planning, performance of their operations and reporting.

In accordance with the recommendation of the Corporate Governance Code for non-public companies, the Shareholders’ Assembly of TPV Group d.o.o. adopted a resolution on appointment of the supervisory board  of the company, with Vladimir Gregor Bahč appointed as chairman of the supervisory board, Marija Rešetič as deputy chairperson of the supervisory board, and Darinka Antončič as member of the supervisory board.

In accordance with the reorganisation, the following changes in management  became effective on 1 April;

in the parent company of the group TPV Group d.o.o.:
• Vladimir Gregor Bahč was appointed as the Chairman of the Supervisory Board,
• Marko Gorjup, M.Sc.,  was appointed as the Group President and CEO of the parent company – TPV Group d.o.o,

in company TPV d.o.o.:
• Ivan Erenda, Ph.d., was appointed as CEO.

No changes were implemented in other companies.

The new organisational structure will enable more effective operations which will facilitate the achievement of goals by all companies within the group and provide further progress in the coming years.

Minister for Economic Development and Technology paying a visit to TPV

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Yesterday, representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, led by Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, visited the TPV Group in Novo mesto. The TPV Group is one of the leading development suppliers in the automotive industry, which develops products for the most demanding premium car manufacturers that have a significant impact on driving dynamics, safety and driving comfort
The management of TPV presented to the guests the achievements in the past year emphasizing newly acquired deals. They also presented the planned projects and future development plans of the company. By developing their own solutions for smart factories, TPV is also one of the main players in the field of automation and robotization. Therefore, representatives of the Ministry have also been interested in highly automated production processes at one of TPV’s business units.

Minister Počivalšek expressed his satisfaction with the visit and congratulated the management of TPV for their achievements.

 

 

ABOUT TPV GROUP:

TPV Group is one of the leading development suppliers operating on the global market of automotive industry. Their core activity, whose main driver is the company TPV d.o.o., is development and production of different components for automotive industry, such as body and chassis assemblies, car seat components and parts, and engine gaskets. Moreover, they develop and provide comprehensive solutions for production logistics management, where the automated guided vehicles, which are result of their own development, are one of the key products. The company is located in five sites in Slovenia– Novo mesto, Brežice, Suhor, Velika Loka and Ptuj – and one site in Kragujevac, Serbia. Due to the needs of customers, they intend to extend their production processes to new markets in the following years.
They are globally recognized as a development and pre-development supplier in the automotive industry. Their development services are purchased by most demanding OEMs for their premium brands like BMW, Mercedes Benz, Volvo, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Land Rover, Renault etc. TPV develops products which have a significant impact on the driving dynamics, safety, ecology and driving comfort.

The TPV Group is besides TPV d.o.o. composed of TPV Prikolice d.o.o., TPV Avto d.o.o. and TPV Šumadija d.o.o,, extending their field of operation to sales of new and used cars, program of comprehensive services for car users and program of light car trailers. The latter are developed and produced jointly with the German partner Böckmann. TPV is also one of the partners in the development company called SiEVA, who develops technological competencies and takes part in various research projects.

 

Honored citizens of the Novo mesto Municipality visited TPV

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The TPV Group is hosting more and more experts, business people, students and other groups or individuals who want to see their organization as an example of good practice and emerging smart factory.

On Thursday, February 21, they were visited by honorable citizens of the Novo mesto municipality: Janez Gabrijelčič, Ph.D., Miha Japelj, Ph.D., Mr. Božidar Kočevar and Jože Gričar, Ph.D., who received their honorary titles for lasting and important successes and contributions in the economic, scientific, cultural, educational and humanitarian field.

The guests were hosted by Mr. Vladimir Gregor Bahč, procurator of TPV Group d.o.o. and Marko Gorjup, M. Sc., CEO – Chairman of the management of TPV d.o.o who  presented the TPV Group to the guests.  Later on they took an interest in visiting the automated production processes at the Novo mesto business unit and at the Velika Loka business unit, where a smart factory with increasingly more modules of automation is approaching its final image.

The guests were surprised at the development and progress of the TPV Group. Mr. Gričar even expressed that for the automotive industry, it is a true success for this company already to have survived over such a long period of time. But for the company to be more and more successful in the wider global field, it just confirms the excellence of leadership, commitment to the goals and the extremely innovative mindset of people working for the TPV company, which is evident in many fields. They emphasized the importance of TPV, one of the rare successful Slovenian companies and offered to the guests a monography “15 years of the Growing book project” whose idea father is Mr. Janez Gabrijelčič, Ph.D. TPV joined the project at its very beginning, promoting the importance of continuous learning and intercultural connectivity through books and knowledge that they carry. For this reason TPV is one of the Golden leaves of this book.

 

ABOUT TPV GROUP:

TPV Group is one of the leading development suppliers operating on the global market of automotive industry. Their core activity, whose main driver is the company TPV d.o.o., is development and production of different components for automotive industry, such as body and chassis assemblies, car seat components and parts, and engine gaskets. Moreover, they develop and provide comprehensive solutions for production logistics management, where the automated guided vehicles, which are result of their own development, are one of the key products. The company is located in five sites in Slovenia– Novo mesto, Brežice, Suhor, Velika Loka and Ptuj – and one site in Kragujevac, Serbia. Due to the needs of customers, they intend to extend their production processes to new markets in the following years.
They are globally recognized as a development and pre-development supplier in the automotive industry. Their development services are purchased by most demanding OEMs for their premium brands like BMW, Mercedes Benz, Volvo, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Land Rover, Renault etc. TPV develops products which have a significant impact on the driving dynamics, safety, ecology and driving comfort.

The TPV Group is besides TPV d.o.o. composed of TPV Prikolice d.o.o., TPV Avto d.o.o. and TPV Šumadija d.o.o,, extending their field of operation to sales of new and used cars, program of comprehensive services for car users and program of light car trailers. The latter are developed and produced jointly with the German partner Böckmann. TPV is also one of the partners in the development company called SiEVA, who develops technological competencies and takes part in various research projects.

TPV Group revenue:   153 mio € (2017)

Employees: 1.205 (2017)

6th Day of Innovation: TPV launches an open platform for innovations

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This year, company TPV celebrates its 30th anniversary, which made the programme of the 6th Day of Innovation of TPV Group, the event where TPV Group presents their innovative activities and achievements of the previous year and points out the trends and novelties in this field, particularly rich. At this opportunity, TPV launched their own open platform called  TPV Innovation Station to acquire new ideas and connect with external partners.   

Mr. Marko Gorjup, MSc, Director – President of the Management TPV d.o.o., held the opening speech, where he stressed the decisive role the innovations play in ensuring competitiveness to companies, and by saying »when the innovative minds unite, the ideas do not only add up, but also multiply« he pointed out the need to open and cooperate in this field to the greatest extent possible. In TPV they are aware of this so they have been systematically developing, promoting and remunerating innovations at all levels of operations involving all employees for many years now. As of today, their innovation system is opening outwards by launching a new platform called TPV Innovation Station and inviting organisations and individuals to create together the mobility of the future.

The idea of connecting and opening was supported also by the main speaker at the event, dr. Johannes Reindl, Head of Strategy and Processes Innovation Management, Purchasing, BMW Group, who in his lecture demonstrated the impact of innovations on changes in the automotive industry and the way BMW addresses this area.

The presentation was followed by a round table discussion on  »Innovative platform and open innovation« with  dr. Johannes Reindl, BMW Group, prof. dr. Marko Munih, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, and prof. dr. Marko Jaklič, Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana. Under the guidance of  Krunoslav Šimrak, Director of Research and Development in TPV, the participants explained in more details the advantages and possible ways of cooperating and connecting in the field of innovation, and opening companies outwards. With an exciting launch of space shuttle, the conclusion of the round table transformed into the birth of TPV open platform for innovation called  TPV Innovation Station. It represents the ground for the innovative ecological system  involving all employees, external partners – faculties, institutes, startup companies, incubators, TPV’s OEM customers, suppliers, etc… – and innovative students, and other individuals who will be in this way given the environment to have their ideas matured and help to make their dreams come true.

Innovativeness is strongly involved in all work processes and mindset of employees in TPV Group. Since they established an effective process of acquiring, encouraging, evaluating and implementing new ideas in 2007, they have received over 13.000 innovative proposals. What is particularly exciting is that the number of submitted proposals is increasing every year and that all employees, not only individuals,  are taking active part in this. Last year they submitted over 3.000 innovative ideas. Furthermore, the number of team innovations has increased as well, which is especially optimistic as innovativeness is based right on cooperation and team spirit.

Among the innovative ideas, the Innovation Committee traditionally selects the most valuable proposal submitted by an individual and a team who receive an additional award. At the ceremony, the recognitions and awards for the best innovative ideas  were conferred by the director – president of management, Mr. Marko Gorjup and the director – member of management, Mr. Ivan Erenda.  According to the Innovation Committee, Predrag Vučinić was the most impressive innovator with the innovative proposal called »Manufacturing of a welding tool for resistance welding on the Daimler project«. The award for the most valuable team innovation was conferred to Blaž Stare, Mišo Pereško, Veljko Goleš, Alen Černelč, Boris Antolovič, Peter Pšeničnik and Jože Gramc  for their innovation called »Smart machine – cardboard box assembler with cardboard storage«. Both awarded innovations follow the company’s guidelines and support the company’s vision »Connecting innovative solutions« for they have been implemented in cooperation with at least two business units within the company and are directed towards the automation, search for breakthrough ideas and optimisation of existing processes. They have both contributed to increasing the company’s competitiveness, winning new deals, achieving higher productivity, and improving work ergonomics.

In accordance with strategic guidelines adopted by TPV Group, the further education of employees is besides the innovation system also part of  the incentive plan. Therefore, Mr. Marko Gorjup and Mrs. Martina Brec, the HR director, granted recognitions to all employees who finished their education last year:  Edvin Jankovič, Davorin  Cimermančič, Nino Švab, Matic Muc, Jernej Knežič, Nenad Rađenović, Davor Novak and Boris Menič. 


Increase in employees knowledge by learning, researching and exchanging knowledge enhances the competencies of individuals and company. With a view to encouraging such activities TPV has been for many years announcing the call for the Martin Sever Award for the best research thesis, graduate thesis, master thesis, doctoral dissertations, paper thesis and articles relating to the theme of the call. The award for the best master thesis was conferred by  Mr. Marko Gorjup and Vladimir Gregor Bahč, the procurator of  TPV Group to Boris Menič for the thesis »Estimating durability of dynamically loaded weld joints with anticorrosion protection« (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana).


As every year, TPV was innovative also in the way of passing the awards – this year they were delivered by a space shuttle which is the result of their own development.

The event was in an innovative way spiced up by musicians Anina Trobec and Joseph Wheba, who, especially for this occasion, played an innovative instrument made from parts TPV manufactures for the most demanding car manufacturers. 

A proof that TPV’s care for innovativeness is not fruitless and that with the growth in number of submitted proposals their quality grows too, are also 8 innovation awards TPV received last year: a gold recognition and award for the best innovation of people’s choice conferred by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Dolenjska and Bela krajina Region,  two gold and one silver recognition for innovation by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Dolenjska and Bela krajina Region, a gold and bronze recognition by the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Posavje Region, and a silver recognition by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Štajerska Region. In future, the company is going to focus their innovative strength even more intensively on the area of automation and robotization, digitization, cloud management, and innovation platform.

 

ABOUT TPV GROUP:

TPV Group is one of the leading development suppliers operating on the global market of automotive industry. Their core activity, whose main driver is the company TPV d.o.o., is development and production of different components for automotive industry, such as body and chassis assemblies, car seat components and parts, and engine gaskets. Moreover, they develop and provide comprehensive solutions for production logistics management, where the automated guided vehicles, which are result of their own development, are one of the key products. The company is located in five sites in Slovenia– Novo mesto, Brežice, Suhor, Velika Loka and Ptuj – and one site in Kragujevac, Serbia. Due to the needs of customers, they intend to extend their production processes to new markets in the following years.
They are globally recognized as a development and pre-development supplier in the automotive industry. Their development services are purchased by most demanding OEMs for their premium brands like BMW, Mercedes Benz, Volvo, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Land Rover, Renault etc. TPV develops products which have a significant impact on the driving dynamics, safety, ecology and driving comfort.
The TPV Group is besides TPV d.o.o. composed of TPV Prikolice d.o.o., TPV Avto d.o.o. and TPV Šumadija d.o.o,, extending their field of operation to sales of new and used cars, program of comprehensive services for car users and program of light car trailers. The latter are developed and produced jointly with the German partner Böckmann. TPV is also one of the partners in the development company called SiEVA, who develops technological competencies and takes part in various research projects.

TPV Group revenue:   153 mio € (2017)

Employees: 1.205 (2017)