Keko, fastest growing Slovenian company

The award, which has grown into one of the most prestigious business prizes in Slovenia over the past few years, was presented by the business weekly Gospodarski vestnik last month. The jury highlighted that Keko Varicon has managed a complete turnaround from a company on the brink of bankruptcy to a highly successful medium-sized company that exports most of its products, Slovene Press Agency STA reports. Keko Varicon, which specialises in surge protection components, has managed to increase its sales by 4-fold in the past five years, including by 82 percent in 2000 alone. Its extensive investment in research and development has helped it churn out 25 new products since 1995 according to STA. The company, which has created 74 new jobs over the past five years, exports most of its products and has managed to become a trusty supplier of many leading European and American car makers. The company's next aim is to penetrate the Japanese market according to STA.