SlovenskoDevelopment and main milestones in 40 years of the pharmaceutical wholesaler Salus
1969 – establishment of new pharmaceutical wholesaler Salus
Head of commercial operations at Kemofarmacija Smiljan Vranjek establishes a new pharmaceutical wholesaler in cooperation with Director of Krka Boris Andrijančič. The company begins operations with the support of Krka in rented premises at Krka’s office building at Dunajska Street in Ljubljana. By the end of the year, Salus is registered as an independent company. The name is borrowed from Ljubljana’s renowned and successful pre-war pharmaceutical wholesaler, named after the Roman goddess of health, prosperity and well-being. The company employs 13 workers.
1970 – 1976 fast growth in the first years of operation
The pharmaceutical wholesaler Salus achieves a high growth rate in its initial years of operation, mainly through trading imported products. Successful operation demands an expansion of personnel and premises.
1976 – moving into new premises
Salus moves its management and commercial sector into rented premises at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Congress centre while the warehouse facility is moved into a purchased and renovated building at Celovška Street in the Šiška district of Ljubljana.
1980 – beginning of operations in company’s own building
Salus purchases and renovates an office building in Kamniška Street, Ljubljana, in order to consolidate all activities under a single roof. At this time the company is a respected and kind business partner to numerous local and foreign manufacturers of pharmaceutical products and an important supplier to Slovenian hospitals and pharmacies. The company now employs 85 experienced and successful employees.
1984 – maintaining independence
The year is marked by political pressures on the company to merge with other Slovenian pharmaceutical wholesaler. The management succeeds in maintaining an independent position for the company with full support of its personnel.
1987 – move into new modern business premises
From mid-eighties onward a strengthened cooperation with the majority of customers and national and international suppliers is leading to a steady increase of wholesale trade. The need for an expansion of company capacity is imminent. The idea of construction a new bigger business premises along Mašera Spasićeva Street in Ljubljana becomes a reality at the end of the year. By moving into its new modern premises, Salus achieves the conditions required for further development.
1990 – Salus becomes one of the first joint stock companies in Slovenia
In the search for solutions to enable the company to maintain its successful operations, the management, with full support of all employees, decides to privatize the state owned company. This is carried out in early 1990 on the basis of then adopted Companies Act. The new joint stock company is owned by its employees and numerous former associates, retired personnel and business partners.
1992 – the SALR share becomes listed on the securities market, operations are supplemented by own foreign trade activities and investments are made into expanding the sales network of pharmacies
The first month of the year is marked by the listing of the SALR share at the Ljubljana Stock Exchange (from 16.01.1992 onwards).
The first year of operation in the newly independent country brings new challenges and needs for change and amendment of business strategies. The company succeeds in meeting its challenges. The loss of a third of its wholesale market after Slovenia's independence is covered by imports of medicine through the company’s own foreign trade activities and measures to gain a greater market share in Slovenia. The company also begins to realize a long term strategy of investing into an expansion of the sales network of pharmacies through public institutions and private concessionaries.
1998 – introduction of new warehousing technology
One of the key strategic development goals to be met by the end of the millennium is the introduction of new warehousing technology. An automated warehouse facility is put into operation in 1998. Another achievement and another tick on the list of goals the company continues to exceed year after year.
1999 – introduction of a new integrated information system
The introduction of a new integrated information system further upgrades the recently modernized process of operation and enables increased productivity, a high degree of adaptation to customer demands and a greater quality of service in realizing orders. The company has almost 100 employees and a 30 percent market share on the Slovenian pharmaceutical market. At the start of its forth decade of operation, the company is listed among the most successful and profitable companies in Slovenia.
2002 – introduction of an electronic ordering system
The introduction of an electronic ordering system contributes to fast and efficient adaptation to the needs and requirements of customers and a faster increase of the company’s competitiveness.
2003 – acquisition of the ISO 9001:2002 certificate
In June the company successfully acquires the ISO 9001:2000 certificate for the quality of its management system. The certificate becomes a base for future organization and operation of the company.
2006 – expansion of storage facilities
Salus continues to increase its competitiveness in the wholesale market of medicines, medical devices and similar products through its strategy of constant expansion of product range, number of suppliers and improvement of the quality of service. Expansions soon brings about the need for additional storage facilities which the company is able to acquire with the restoration of the next door premises of Nama. The company now has 7,500 m2 of storage space.
