AD Plastik Group participated in this year’s Career Days at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Zagreb, offering students and future professionals a unique opportunity to learn about our company and the possibilities we provide.

Our representatives introduced students to a variety of career options and internship programs within AD Plastik Group, as well as the innovative projects we are working on. They were available to talk with students, answering their questions about the industry, professional challenges, and the opportunities awaiting those who choose a career in the automotive industry. The main topics of discussion were the production processes and the finished products, which they had the opportunity to see.

Our presence at this event reflects AD Plastik Group’s commitment to developing young talent, as well as our desire to share our expertise and vision for the future of the automotive industry. Our participation in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture Career Days is yet another step in promoting innovation and attracting motivated individuals who want to grow and develop within our team.

As part of the project “Experience is Worth its Weight in Gold”, AD Plastik actively participates in encouraging the employment of people with disabilities. This year too, eight students with disabilities were given the opportunity to do internships in leading Croatian companies, including AD Plastik. The project, which has been going on for 12 years, has connected more than 190 students with employers, 12 of whom got permanent employment. This initiative significantly contributes to social inclusion and equality in the labor market, and this topic was also discussed at the panel “Persons with disabilities in the Croatian labor market – challenges and opportunities” in which Krešimir Mikulandra, human resources development coordinator, participated.

“We firmly believe in an inclusive work environment and actively support the employment of people with disabilities. We recognize their unique talents and the contribution they bring to our team. Although we face the challenges of adapting the work space and processes, we are dedicated to creating conditions that enable the equal participation of all employees. Our commitment to inclusion is not only an ethical obligation, but also a strategic advantage that enriches our working community and contributes to the long-term success of the company,” said Krešimir Mikulandra.

The Management Board of AD Plastik Group has signed a new Collective Agreement for 2022, pursuant to which the existing social and material rights of employees of AD Plastik d.d. have been retained at a high level. The agreement has been concluded for a period of one year and applies to all employees in Croatia.

Employees are undoubtedly the most important stakeholders of the company and the basic premise of its successful development, and in exceptionally challenging circumstances, additional mutual understanding and responsibility have been shown.

The Management Board of AD Plastik Group signed a new Collective Bargaining Agreement for 2021 with trade unions, pursuant to which employees of AD Plastik d.d. shall maintain a high level of social and substantive rights. Having signed the said agreement in these difficult times and business conditions characterized by strong negative trends, AD Plastik Group has once again confirmed that it is a responsible employer ready for social dialogue. The fact that the employees are the most important component in the development process of AD Plastik Group has thus once again been confirmed by the Company Management Board in the current period of new, severe and uncertain working conditions resulting from the pandemic.

The agreement has been concluded for a period of one year between the Management Board of AD Plastik d.d. and the three trade unions active within the framework of the Company; namely, Autonomous Trade Union in the Power, Chemistry and Non-Metal Industry of Croatia, the AD Plastik RIS Zagreb Trade Union and the independent trade union of employees of AD Plastik Solin.

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Despite numerous examples of women successfully managing even the largest companies in the world, especially in difficult economic times, their share in the total of senior and high-level management is rather modest. For this very reason, having organized the ninth Women in Business Conference and already the fifteenth selection of the most powerful women, Leader wanted to highlight successful experiences. This conference brings together business women, female owners, directors and managers of companies in Croatia, the region and beyond. This was precisely the desire of the organizers as well as to motivate women to take up new business ventures and to encourage the initiative to increase the representation of women in senior positions.

Two roundtables were also held as part of the conference, attended by women from different fields, in order to express their opinions on current topics of rights, positions, interests and requirements they face in business. The first round table entitled Extra Mile – Lifelong Learning was attended by Katija Klepo, Member of the Management Board of AD Plastik Group, who emphasized on this occasion:

“I am a member of the Management Board of AD Plastik Group, which is an automotive components supplier. The public perception is that it is mostly a men’s industry, but we employ almost equal number of men and women. We operate in five countries – except Croatia, we have factories in Russia, Hungary, Serbia and Romania and our trends are the same everywhere. The fact is that we live in very dynamic time and lifelong learning is a necessity, we must constantly keep improving our knowledge. In addition to business and private commitments, sometimes it’s not easy to fit it into a schedule, but it’s an investment in yourself and your future. Sometimes we have too little time for ourselves, but it is a matter of every woman’s choice so we accept the challenges and simply live them.” ne

Croatian Chamber of Economy organized the Day of Croatian Financial Institutions Conference – Impact of the introduction of the euro on economic developments. The organizers of the conference stressed that skepticism about the euro mainly comes from ignorance and that businessmen, and especially exporters, overwhelmingly support the introduction of the euro. It was reported that about two-thirds of Croatia’s trade in goods takes place in the euro area, which is where the vast majority of total foreign direct investments in Croatia comes from.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković emphasized the numerous benefits of the introduction of the euro, from the permanent elimination of currency risk, through the reduction of borrowing costs to the strengthening of international trade. He announced that as early as next year we are entering the European Exchange Rate Mechanism II and that after two and a half to three years we should meet all the requirements for the introduction of the euro. This means that we would enter the Eurozone early in 2023 or 2024.

Marinko Došen, President of the Management Board of AD Plastik, participated in panel discussion as part of the conference, where discussion was held regarding the impact of the introduction of the euro on economic developments. “As president of the Management Board of a company that is a 100% exporter, it is clear that I am a big proponent of the introduction of the euro. The implemented exchange rate policy is not in us exporters’ favor and it is one of the biggest obstacles in increasing profitability. In these circumstances, it is very difficult to remain competitive in the demanding global market, especially in the industry in which we operate,” said Marinko Došen on this occasion.

For the tenth consecutive year, Poslovni dnevnik in cooperation with the Zagreb Stock Exchange has been awarding companies with the best investor relations. Companies from the CROBEX index and those listed on the Zagreb Stock Exchange’s Prime and Official Market enter the competition. The award winners are decided on the basis of statistical criteria relating to the issuer’s compliance with the Rules of the Stock Exchange and on the basis of a survey conducted among participants of the capital market.

This year, the awards were presented again in Rovinj as part of the eighth joint conference of the Zagreb Stock Exchange and the fund industry entiteled “Challenge of Change”. The award for the third ranking company went to AD Plastik, for the second ranking to Atlantic Group, and for the first ranking went to Valamar Riviera.

“The award is extremely important to us because it is about recognition by a professional financial public. Our business in the global marketplace requires the respect and continual improvement of high standards of corporate governance. The effort we put in is recognized, and it is our motive to be even better,” said Marinko Došen, President of the Management Board of AD Plastik, expressing gratitude to the organizers and participants of the conference.

The “Challenge of Change” conference represents the central gathering of the financial community from Croatia and the region, and this year about 40 speakers and about 450 participants from all branches of the financial industry attended the conference. The conference was inaugurated on behalf of the organizer by Ivana Gažić, President of the Management Board of the Zagreb Stock Exchange, and in the introductory part of the conference the participants were addressed by the Minister of Finance Zdravko Marić. This was followed by lectures by Ante Žigman, President of the Governing Board of the Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency, Governor Boris Vujčić, Uto Baader, founder of Baader Bank and former Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas.

 (photo: Manuel Paljuh)

The 28th meeting of the Lider’s Club of Exporters took place at the AD Plastik factory at Jankomir, Zagreb. The members and guests of the club were welcomed by the Editor-in-Chief of the Lider Miodrag Šajatović, who emphasized that the members of this club are exporting HRK 15 billion a year.

The host of the meeting, Marinko Došen, President of the Management Board of AD Plastik, welcomed the guests and reminded that AD Plastik is a 100% exporter and places all of its production to foreign markets. Došen emphasized the excessive kuna exchange rate and the increase in operating costs, i.e. the increase in energy prices and labor costs as two key parameters that negatively affect the competitiveness of the company. “Every five years we lose almost one factory due to the strong kuna. If we take the 2014 kuna exchange rate as an indicator, we have lost almost HRK 87 million in revenue due to its strengthening over the last five years. Electricity costs rose 33 percent, which is a cost increase of HRK 8.4 million over the last three years. An increase in staff costs has burdened the business with HRK 78.5 million in the last five years. That is why it is necessary to consider compensatory measures for exporters exporting more than EUR 100 million or employing more than 500 employees,” pointed out Marinko Došen.

The main discussion of the members of the Club of Exporters was focused on the topic of energy sources prices as a significant factor in export competitiveness. The Minister of Environment and Energy Tomislav Ćorić participated as a special guest, who noted that Croatian exporters face a number of challenges in their operations. “Some of them, such as rising labor costs and electricity prices, cannot be significantly influenced by the Government of the Republic of Croatia. It is encouraging that we are currently in the process of implementing a new scheme for the payment of fees for renewable energy sources, which are aimed at relieving large consumers, that is, energy-intensive industries. Relief from the fees would range from 80, 60, or 40 percent,” said Minister Ćorić.

The Corporate governance quality conference was held at the Hotel Esplanade Zagreb, organized by the Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency and Jutarnji List. The Code of Corporate Governance of the issuers was formally signed, and it was jointly drafted by the Hanfa and the Zagreb Stock Exchange, with the support of the EBRD, with the aim of enhancing the culture of corporate governance. The Code of Corporate Governance sets the foundation for building sophisticated corporate relationships within companies by  defining detailed procedures for the work of the Management Board and Supervisory Board and establishing effective internal controls and accountability systems.

Participating in the main panel of the conference, Marinko Došen, President of the Management Board of AD Plastik Group, noted that efforts to improve the corporate governance culture have been put for many years. “Our industry is highly regulated. In our business, we are very connected with our partners, so they demand extremely high standards of corporate governance from us. There is no room for failure to meet the standards here as the market and customers constantly remind us of the importance of investing in a complete management culture. We couldn’t survive without it. Investor relations are very important to us because they give us support in our plans, while good relationships with our customers enable us to realize them,” said Marinko Došen, among other things. 

Apart from Marinko Došen, panel discussion was attended by Gian Piero Cigna, EBRD Chief Counsel of the Financial Law Unit, Ivana Gažić, President of the Management Board of the Zagreb Stock Exchange, dr. sc. Željko Lovrinčević, Scientific Advisor at the Institute of Economics in Zagreb and Petar Vlaić, President of the Management Board of the Erste mandatory and voluntary pension funds management company.

Zdravko Marić, Minister of Finance, dr. sc. Ante Žigman, President of the Management Council of Hanfa and Steven Maijoor, President of the European Securities and Markets Authority spoke at the conference.