Key Milestones in the Development of SOP International

Establishment of the SOP

On 7 February 1958, Decision No. 749/1 established the Municipal Company Videm-Krško, whose activities included various services in the field of metal processing, electrical industry, glass, plumbing and painting services, maintenance and renovation of plumbing installations and other occasional services.

The First Paint Shop on the International Market

In 1964, we built our first paint shop for a tractor factory in Egypt in collaboration with the engineering bureau AVTOMACIJA from Ljubljana. During this decade, the company underwent two name changes. Initially renamed to General Craft Company Videm-Krško, it was further rebranded in 1968 to SOP KRŠKO, Specialized Company for Industrial Equipment. This change was driven by the growing international clientele and the company’s increasing industrialization, as the previous name was not easily understood outside of Slovenia.

Proizvodnja v Žadovinku

Due to the increasing volume of business and employees, the company moved from the Krško city center to a new industrial zone in Žadovinek, to an area of 5,280 m2. The plant for the design, production and installation of technological equipment for surface protection recorded high turnover growth. Complementary activities were developed, which contributed to the comprehensive offer of knowledge and equipment. In that year, the company was led by the general manager, Mr. Vital Kovačič.

Bureau in Ljubljana

In 1987, the construction of a new building of the engineering bureau in Ljubljana was carried out. In the thirty years of its existence, SOP KRŠKO has developed from a small craft company into an important manufacturer of industrial equipment with more than 500 paint shops in the former Yugoslavia and abroad. The company enjoyed a reputation as a high-quality manufacturer of state-of-the-art equipment in this field.

SOP International established

In 1994, the company SOP - INTERNATIONAL, a specialized company for industrial equipment, was founded, which continued the production program of SOP KRŠKO in the field of production of equipment for surface protection of metals, wood and plastics. The director of the company was Mr. Pavel Bogovič, the procurator Mr. Anton Jenžur and the financial director Mrs. Breda Mavsar.

Obtaining ISO 9001 certification

In order to make more and more progress and be well organized, in 2004 we introduced the company to operate according to the quality management system and obtained the ISO 9001 certificate.

New business premises in Vrbina

In 2008, we moved to new business premises in the Vrbina Business Zone in Krško. The production part of the building was mainly used for the needs of pre-assembly and testing of technological equipment and assemblies.

Own powder coating line in Vrbina

In 2014, we built a new facility for the needs of the activities of the TECHNOLOGICAL CENTER for Surface Protection of Metals with its own paint shop for powder coating of metal products/semi-finished products, equipped with high-tech equipment.

New Facility for Pre-Assembly of Large Projects

In 2023, we expanded our operations with a new 5,000m² facility dedicated to the pre-assembly of large projects and the testing of technological equipment. This state-of-the-art space allows us to efficiently manage and prepare complex projects before installation.