Our member, the young start-up company Flux Performance, led by Marko Ukota, has entered into a strategic partnership with an Asian motorcycle manufacturer. It will develop a prototype electric motorcycle for the manufacturer, which will be sold to Asian customers in the coming years.
While Flux Performance generated just €800 in annual revenue last year, this year it will generate a good €1 million. That is more than 1,200-fold growth. When we visited the company last year, its director Marko Ukota welcomed us in his garage. Today, thanks to a deal with an Asian company that manufactures more than 100,000 motorcycles per year, Flux Performance’s production site now covers 600 square meters. The number of regular employees has also increased, from one to eight.
Although Ukota cannot discuss the deal in detail, as he is bound by a confidentiality agreement, he did tell us that they will be making a prototype electric motorcycle for an Asian buyer, which will have competitive advantages over its rivals in that market. To this end, they will develop a completely new chassis, ergonomics, battery system, inverter, and control electronics. It will have sporty driving characteristics, but will nevertheless be driven mainly by recreational and amateur motorcyclists. In short, it will be a top-of-the-line product.
This naturally raises the question of whether the company is concerned that once the Asian employees have acquired all the necessary knowledge, they will terminate their contracts and start manufacturing all of the above themselves. Ukota simply laughs at this. He says he is not worried about this. His team has a wealth of knowledge and experience, as well as ideas and innovations. He is therefore confident that their knowledge will enable them to maintain a long-term partnership with the Asians, which will ultimately benefit both sides. The key is cooperation, not destruction.
****
Additional information: SRIP ACS+, Erik Blatnik, +386 1 236 17 35, erik.blatnik@acs-giz.si
______________________________________________________________________________________
The automotive industry in Slovenia generates approximately 10% of gross domestic product and nearly 25% of Slovenian exports (source: SPIRIT Slovenia). All members of SRIP ACS+, including all areas of mobility, contribute more than 17% to Slovenia’s GDP. Our members generate more than €8 billion in annual revenue, with most of them operating as Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers to global vehicle manufacturers. Each year, SRIP ACS+ members receive more than 25% of all innovation awards from the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the automotive industry.