Think inside the box: Building the future in Croatia

What major shifts do you see in manufacturing today, and how are they impacting our customers?

Stephan: “The world has been going through some massive shifts over the past few years—supply chains are more complex, and businesses are under pressure to adapt quickly. Customers are looking for reliable partners who can offer flexibility and resilience, especially in light of global disruptions. Nearshoring is a big topic. Companies want to bring production closer to home, but they also need efficiency, speed, and quality—something that’s at the core of what we do at Variosystems.”

Josipa: “Exactly. Our current site in Croatia has been instrumental in helping our customers meet these challenges, but with the new location in Varaždin, we’re taking things to the next level. This new site allows us to expand our capabilities even further. It’s designed to be more flexible, more efficient, and, most importantly, more scalable. We’re setting the stage for the next chapter in our commitment to resilient supply chains and high-quality manufacturing.”

So, how exactly does the new Varaždin site fit into these evolving customer needs?

Stephan: “The new Varaždin site is strategically located in Eastern Europe to tap into the growing demand for nearshoring solutions for our European-based customers. The region has a strong industrial heritage, especially in mechanical and system engineering, and that’s a perfect fit for us as we continue to expand our box build assembly offerings. This new location gives us the capacity to respond to customer needs faster and more efficiently.”

Josipa: “Yes, the location itself is a big advantage. It’s the cultural and economic center of Northern Croatia. So, Varaždin offers excellent logistics, access to skilled labor, and a well-established network of suppliers. This means we can support our customers’ growing demand for flexibility and speed, all while maintaining the highest standards of quality and precision.”

What are the future plans for the location?

Stephan: “The move to the new site in Varaždin represents a major step forward for us. The Medtech & Life-Science as well as Industrial & Automation sectors are key focuses for us, and this site will help us expand those verticals significantly. We’re fulfilling ISO 13485 which will ensure we’re meeting the highest standards for design and manufacture of medical devices. Besides, we establish the Croatian site as our Box Build Assembly (BBA) competence center in Europe.”

You mentioned the BBA competence center, what makes this such a key focus for Variosystems in Croatia?

Josipa: “The BBA competence center is already a key part of our Croatian operation, but we’re pushing it even further at the new site. With the space extension up to 70 lean BBA cells in Varaždin, we’ll be able to scale even more efficiently. In this new hub of expertise, our team can continue to innovate and refine their skills in BBA Industrialization, offering our customers a level of quality, customized approach, and flexibility that sets us apart from many of our competitors.”

That sounds like a strong foundation! How do you see the team growing and evolving at the new site?

Josipa: “First, I’d like to emphasize that we’ve already got an amazing team here! We continuously grow, learn and support each other, we celebrate our successes together and we really enjoy what we do. Most of the colleagues are fluent in Croatian, English, and German, which makes us even more accessible to our international customers. I’m super proud of their language skills but must admit that my own German skills are a bit limited…

All in all, I do very much enjoy working with such young, talented and enthusiastic people. Regardless of the profession and role they have in the company, they have that drive for co-creation, which makes my job awesome.

At the new site, we hope to add even more great people to the team. The rich history Varaždin has in engineering and mechanics means we can tap into a local talent pool with the skills we need. It’ll truly benefit our box build skills.”

If you had to sum it up, what impact will the new Varaždin site have on Variosystems and its customers in the coming years?

Josipa: “It’s a game-changer, and it’s all about being better equipped to serve our customers with excellence and speed. The whole team is pumped up about this move. The opening in June is around the corner, and we can’t wait to show everyone the difference this new site will make”

Stephan: “We are genuinely excited about the new Varaždin site. It’s not just a bigger facility—it’s a facility that will allow us to be even more responsive to our customers’ needs. As Josipa said before, we’re not just expanding, we’re enhancing our production excellence and scalability. This will give us even more capacity and flexibility to offer low-cost, high-quality solutions to our customers, and that’s something they can really count on.”