Maribor Development Agency, the lead partner of project INTRA (programme Interreg Europe) proposed changes to the OP for implementation of the EU Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 in East Slovenia. As the result, the Ministry for Economic Development and Technology of the Republic of Slovenia prepared the Internationalisation vouchers.
Ms Nataša Pulko, head of finances at Pulko Ventili Ruše, explained:
“Entering new markets, we would have to devote our resources into market research. Thanks to vouchers, we were able to hire high quality outside help to do this for us.”
Pulko Ventili Ruše is an SME with almost a century old tradition of producing gas equipment and hot forging products. We produce all types of shut-off valves for industry, including aggressive media and equipment for connecting cylinders to gas batteries of 12 or 16 cylinders, valves with residual pressure function in the cylinder, gas battery equipment, equipment for filling and distribution of gas supply and quick couplers for gas forklifts. Apart from industrial valves, they also produce vslves for medicine, such as PIN INDEX valves for gas cylinders, safety valves, tubular pressure compensators, flexible and stable pipe connections and quick couplings.
They were already present on the German market, but wanted to expand to Italian market. However, as customer support is of extreme importance in the development of unique products such as theirs (conceptual design, construction and production of a prototype, and assistance with certification), they focus on each customer individually.
In 2019 Pulko Ventili Ruše applied for a voucher for market research on the foreign markets in the worth of 5.000 EUR. They conducted a research of the Italian market and are ready for long term business there.
