Despite the coronavirus pandemic, this has been another successful year for JGL. Although it faced the crisis, an extreme drop in the rouble exchange rate, and a decline in the purchasing power of the population, the company is ending this challenging year on a high note. In addition to the HRK 1,000 reward given for their performance in the midst of the crisis in May, all employees will now receive a HRK 3,000 bonus as a thank you for their hard work, effort and achievements. This brings the total bonus for the year to over HRK 12,000 on top of regular salaries. The company has also secured a HRK 373m investment for the new business period, and employed 85 new staff at the Group level, mostly in Croatia.
"I am very proud of the results we have achieved in these challenging times, thanks to our sound strategy, operational flexibility and, above all, the strong commitment and enthusiasm of our employees, both in Croatia and across our markets. I am delighted that the Board of Directors has recognised our efforts and that we are once again able to reward our employees for their performance,” says Mislav Vučić, JGL’s CEO. Maintaining a stable system has enabled the company to show solidarity throughout the year, he adds, not only within the local community, but also the society at large.
JGL will continue implementing its strategic projects and investments in brands, markets and technology in 2021. It has recently signed an agreement with the CBRD for the Integra 2020 project, worth HRK 373m. The project will open up the possibility for major new advances on the international market. Integra 2020 includes investments in sterile pharmaceutical production, R&D, a new pilot plant and a robotic logistics and distribution centre. The project foresees a 60% increase in sterile production capacity, as well as an integration of research and quality processes at a single site in Rijeka.
"We are pleased with our timely response to the pandemic, which showed our company’s high level of adaptability and flexibility. The spread of COVID-19 required a proactive, short-term review of our business operations and rapid response capabilities. The crisis is sure to have a profound impact on the economy, but at the same time, it has brought to light the importance of having a strong industry, based on highly advanced technology. This is why we consider Integra 2020 a capital project that will strengthen our position on the global pharmaceutical map and enable us to produce an additional 41 million units of sterile sprays, drops and BoV forms intended primarily for export. With this investment, we are greatly improving the company’s development and technological competence and its global competitiveness,” says Vučić.
Integra 2020 also entails significant investments in the development of high-tech industry in Croatia and modern, digital technologies in the pharmaceutical industry, which will raise Croatian and European pharmaceutical standards. The project will enable JGL to further transfer the manufacture of sterile ophthalmic products of its Polish strategic partner to Croatia, and export finished products to Poland and other markets. This will further strengthen the export capacity of JGL and the Croatian pharmaceutical industry as a whole.