EU Projects
The company Marles hiše Maribor d.o.o. is recognised in its industry as a leading company in the development of technological solutions for sustainable and energy-saving construction of modern residential houses and investment buildings. The focus of the company's development is the use of modern technological solutions, the use of renewable resources and the integration of materials of natural origin, with the aim of ensuring a healthy living environment and the greatest possible living comfort.
Training for employees
For many years, Marles has been part of the KOCles partnership, the Competence Centre for Human Resources Development in the Woodworking Industry, where we train and educate our employees in various areas of expertise. As a result, our employees have acquired the latest advanced knowledge and skills in the fields of woodworking, construction, sustainable business, digitalisation, sales, and soft skills such as negotiation, teamwork, team management, etc., which help them to do better in their jobs.
The KOCles 4 partnership brings together 24 wood processing and furniture manufacturing companies with 2365 employees and 6 institutions. The project's funding amounts to 600.000 EUR over the period between January 2023 and October 2024.
Expansion of production capacity for wooden structural elements
The expansion of the production capacity for wooden structural elements comprises seven interconnected technological packages:
1. Warehousing equipment
2. Four-way fork lift truck
3. A modern K2-Industry 650 (K2i) CNC machine in the production hall for the manufacture of wall elements
4. A new line of production tables with associated equipment in the production hall for the manufacture of wall elements
5. Lifting equipment with ancillary equipment in the production hall for wall elements
6. Automatic cross-cut sawing machine with feeder in the production hall for the manufacture of ceiling elements
7. A vertical saw - formatter and cutter in the production hall for ceiling elements
Source of funding: Recovery and resilience plan, development area C3: Smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth, component K2: Raising productivity, a business-friendly environment for investors, and investment D: Providing innovative ecosystems of economic and business infrastructure.
Funded by the European Union - NextGenerationEU
The main objectives of the project are:
The smart home of the future for a comfortable and healthy living and working environment - DOM24h
The construction of the net-zero energy house DOM24h represents one of the most modern buildings combining the functionality of living, working from home and active leisure. The building has a comprehensive energy and information supply, is a basic cell of mobility and enables net-zero energy living for its users. It has been designed entirely in the BiM model, where its digital twin has also been created. With DOM24h, Marles has realised one of the biggest breakthroughs for Slovenian companies.
DOM24h is a symbiosis of all the activities that are important to a modern person: work - home - leisure. A new conceptual integrated solution for construction and living combines newly developed, technologically advanced, and complementary individual systems.
It is an integrative project of solutions from the four focus areas of the SRIP (Strategic Research and Innovation Partnerships) Smart Buildings and the Wood Chain Home (wood and the wood chain, advanced non-biogenic building products, smart devices and systems, and active building management), which for the first time also includes the development of new solutions and business models in the still emerging integrative focus area of Advanced Living Environments.
It brings together solutions from twelve prominent Slovenian companies with the aim of creating sustainable, smart, advanced, connected, and user-friendly healthy living environments. The DOM24h project is not only important for the participating partners, but also as a comprehensive solution for the modern living concept for the entire prefabricated smart home industry and all providers of smart building solutions of the future in the region and the EU.
The project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union.
Marles solar power plants
Marles installed solar power plants at the company's facilities in Limbuš and Lovrenc na Pohorju in 2023. The installation of the solar power plants means for the company greater energy independence whilst at the same time pursuing the objective of decarbonisation.
The operation is being implemented under the Operational Programme for the Implementation of the EU Cohesion Policy 2014-2020, priority axis of Sustainable Use and Production of Energy and Smart Grids, priority investment of Promoting the Production and Distribution of Energy from Renewable Sources.
The operation is co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union from the Cohesion Fund.
Cybersecurity voucher
At Marles, we are aware of the importance of the development of digitalisation, which will have a significant impact on our competitiveness in the future and, consequently, the company's cyber security is inextricably linked to it. Cyber security is one of the key areas for the successful implementation of digitalisation in our business to keep our partners, suppliers, customers, and ourselves safe from malicious cyber-attacks.
A system security scan will be conducted with an external expert to carefully examine the state of the network, perform a retrieval of sensitive information, a vulnerability scan, search for information and malicious codes in the systems, and thus establish a comprehensive system for managing vulnerabilities, threats, and security risks in managing key information in the company's information system.
The investment is co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund.
Advanced treatment of wooden parts of the structure
To increase the machinability of prefabricated wooden building elements in a shorter time, Marles has modernised its technological line with new machines that allow for easier and faster production of wooden elements, thereby machining the most technically demanding solutions. As part of the project, we have purchased or are about to purchase a new production machine for the manufacture of prefabricated wooden construction elements, a new varnishing machine and a wood residue shredder, which will be used to grind up all the waste wood produced during the manufacture of prefabricated wooden construction elements and to use it for the energy supply of the production premises.
The investment is co-funded by the Republic of Slovenia, Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, from the public call for proposals for co-funding of initial investments and creation of new jobs in border problem areas in the years 2021-2022.
SOLID WALL
In the framework of the project, the company has developed a product that is completely new, both for the company and for the market, thus expanding the sales range and gaining new clients, as we will be able to offer our customers a solid wood wall that has been perfected in production and that allows for the construction of buildings with 7, 8 or even more storeys. The wall is wholly finished in production and made of solid wood, with joinery, blinds and sills already installed in production and the façade completed. Moreover, we have examined the possibilities of developing in the wall the so-called installation layer. This means that the entire wooden wall is manufactured and finished on the production premises, which is a novelty on both the domestic and the wider market (climate controlled, optimum weather and working conditions, wood protected from humidity and weather, greater precision guaranteed in the installation of windows, joinery, sills), with the level of precision of the solid wooden wall production a complete novelty on the market as well.
The manufactured wall also allows for the construction of buildings with 7, 8 or more storeys, which is a complete novelty for our market. This will enable us to offer something new to potential buyers and to the market.
We have integrated the solid wall element into our modular buildings, where modular construction is based on the highest level of precision of the building, its optimal architectural design, and the use of the best materials, while ensuring the highest quality of living. The principle of modular construction allows for considerable flexibility and adaptability.
Industrially manufactured wooden ceiling and wall elements with integrated system for ceiling and wall heating and cooling of the building
Advanced wall and ceiling systems for buildings represent a novelty in the field of industrially manufactured wooden construction systems with integrated heating and cooling systems for buildings, and are not yet used in Slovenia or more widely. They are the result of our own development. Similar low-temperature ceiling and wall heating systems, which can also be used for cooling, are only available on the market for autonomous installation on the construction site and can be installed on pre-manufactured wall and ceiling elements.
We have developed a heating and cooling system that will be integrated into the structural element itself and will be industrially manufactured or prefabricated. This design ensures that the system is installed under controlled production conditions, thus guaranteeing precision in its design, installation, and operation, while at the same time ensuring all the positive effects of its operation.
Wooden ceiling and wall elements with integrated ceiling and wall heating and cooling systems reduce the emission of harmful substances both during the production stage of the components for the system as well as during its operation stage. In the system of wooden ceiling and wall elements for heating and cooling, we used material made from recycled raw materials (gypsum fibre boards made from cellulose fibres obtained by mechanically shredding selected types of waste paper and wood) instead of a product made from non-natural materials (polystyrene underfloor heating system panels). In addition, we use a modern SPM-2 machine to ensure that the waste parts of the material are collected and reused. Wood waste that cannot be recycled and reused is used for heating in production.
The investment is co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund.
