Eltas new plant paves way for more complex electronics

After more than a decade of development, construction and production of membrane keyboards, foils overlays and user interfaces at the previous site, Slovenian manufacturer Eltas d.o.o. – established in 1996 – inaugurated its new production plant in the industrial zone of Šentjernej last Friday. Measuring a total of 3’000 square metres, of which 2’500 are dedicated entirely to production, the new facility is three times bigger than their former location, Peter Lustek, Production Manager, tells Evertiq in a phone interview. The reason behind the company’s decision to move was, according to Lustek, not to increase its current production capacity. Focusing on small- to medium-sized series, resulting in approximately 600’000 sold products annually – where 50% mainly goes to domestic export companies – Eltas is using the plant to venture into more advanced and complex types of electronics. – During this and the following year, our production will also include printed circuit boards, electronic displays, integrated TFT screens, says Peter Lustek, assuring that membrane keyboards will still hold a place in the company’s portfolio. While Eltas spent around EUR 3 million for the facility itself, the company invested another million euros on a new screen printing line, a fifth CNC machine, and a digital printer, to name a few of the recent additions to its lineup of equipment. With that, the facility is up for the task, Peter Lustek explains to Evertiq. – For 2020 and onward, we are solely investing in our development department and new employees, says Lustek adding that Eltas the last year increased the staff from 40 to 50 people. Products manufactured by Eltas – such as their membrane keyboards – mostly end up in the industrial environment, where they are used by machine operators for programming and control. However, telecommunications, medical equipment, and measuring instruments are other market segments where their solutions are a common sight. In their field of expertise, the company claims to hold a 99% share of the Slovenian market, but aims to make a greater impact both at home, and abroad. And the groundwork for growth has already been laid, most notably in Austria, Italy and Germany, says Lustek. – We are definitely growing, and we are witnessing higher demands for our products, ends Lustek.