Dragan Nikolić, a young entrepreneur from Ljubovija, who is engaged in the production of metal products, revealed to us that old crafts are not on the verge of extinction, and how they can be adapted to modern market conditions and turned into a successful business. His craft and locksmith enterprise Opiljak is one of many small businesses throughout Serbia which, with the financial support of the European Union, was given the opportunity to improve the production process and to double the number of satisfied customers.
Twenty-eight-year-old Dragan is a manager of construction machines, but his love for the locksmith trade developed in his childhood. As a child, Dragan spent hours and hours with his father - a famous locksmith from Ljubovija - in a small family workshop, revealing various master secrets. His desire to follow in his father's footsteps and become an equally experienced locksmith grew from year to year. "I inherited the job from my father. I later expanded that workshop, but I also thought about how I could open my own company where I would work with my friends ", Dragan remembers the beginning of his business.
Dragan opened his craft and locksmith enterprise Opiljak in 2016 and since then he has been engaged in the production of metal products - steel construction, metal joinery, but also metal furniture as required by his clients. In the meantime, he got the opportunity to move abroad. As he has always been attached to Ljubovija, he still decided to stay in his hometown, going abroad only seasonally.
"I had the opportunity to work in Switzerland, where my brother-in-law does a similar job. I worked there seasonally as an assistant and then I realized that there is room for business improvement. Since then, I have been trying to find a way to buy equipment that will improve and speed up production ", Dragan says while adding:" I found out about the EU PRO public call in 2019 and with the professional help of employees in the Regional Development Agency I have made a business plan. I had no idea that this moment would be crucial for the further development of my enterprise and help my dream come true. Thanks to the EU donation, I was given the opportunity to buy a new welding table that enables serial production of patterns, with significantly faster production. Earlier, I had to cut the material first, then weld, and only then paint, and now it all goes twice as fast. Finally, as a company, we can accept more demanding jobs. In the meantime, I hired my first worker, and if we continue to work in this manner, I will hire at least two more."
Opiljak is a socially responsible enterprise that supported the reconstruction of the security fence and the installation of safety nets behind the goals at the stadium of the local Football Club "Drina" in Ljubovija. "As a child, I trained football there and I see that even today there are a lot of young people and children who come to the stadium to play sports and watch matches. However, over time, the stadium began to age and decay. I am so glad that I was able to give a new light to the stadium where I scored my first goals. Now there is no more worry that the ball will end up in the neighbour yards ", Dragan Nikolić ends his story.
The European Union, in cooperation with the Ministry of European Integration, supported over 200 micro and small enterprises and entrepreneurs with more than 4.3 million Euros through the EU PRO programme. The funds were used to purchase new equipment which helped enterprises improve production and competitiveness and create new jobs.
Through the activities of the EU PRO programme, the European Union contributes to the more balanced socio-economic development of Serbia with a total of 25 million Euros. The programme aims to contribute to increasing the competitiveness of micro and small enterprises, improving the business environment and strengthening social cohesion in 99 local self-government units, in two regions: the Region of Šumadija and Western Serbia and the Region of Southern and Eastern Serbia. The activities in the field are implemented by UNOPS.