Driving through Slovenia you can spot hundreds of kilometers of transmission line. If you look closer, you will see Turvatikas Safety Ladder on almost tower you can find. How did this happen? It’s safe to say, that it was not by accident. Marko Petelin, the man behind EDGE d.o.o., confirms that and shares his story behind the long-term partnership between Finland and Slovenia.
For the past 15 years Petelin has been working with safety at work, HV transmission stringing and civil works in the Balkan area. Petelin and his partners at EDGEhave been successful in implementing Turvatikas Safety Ladder to the transmission sector of Slovenia and the neighboring countries. Today, they are considered to be not only resellers, but also very well established trainers and inspectors for the system and occupational health in Slovenia.
“Our product range varies from conductors, insulators, safety ladders, safety equipment to industrial tools, HV transmission line stringing equipment, anti-corrosion paint and civil works”, Petelin lists. EDGE is present in transmission and distribution market in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.“
Continuous work for improving the safety culture
“When we started 15 years ago, safety on power lines wasn’t the most important topic. But now, since our continuous efforts, it is number one top priority when building new powerline. When the line is being designed, the ladders are already considered as a fixed part of the powerline”, Petelin says.
The sift in the safety culture has not happened over night. Nowadays, the installers that work in a powerline know to expect a reliable and well known safety product. The key of implementing Turvatikas Safety Ladder has been identifying the market opportunities and promoting work-place safety.
“What does this mean for my everyday life? When I drive around the country I always look around for towers, chimneys and other high structures, always thinking how we would install the ladders. But for the last couple of years I don’t need to worry no longer, because almost every tower has Safety Ladder already installed. This makes me incredibly happy, knowing that people are safe and we did our part, and the workers have safer conditions because of us.”
Kilometers of perfect ladder installations
Petelin considers himself as a perfectionist, both on site and at the office. This can be seen on the quality of the installations that have been conducted in the ladders of Balkan’s powerlines. When talking about R&D, if he comes up with an idea to further improve the product or the service, he doesn’t save his words and Turvatikas’ production team listens carefully what he has to say. Some of his ideas have been implemented as such to product development.
Working as a distributor for Turvatikas Safety Ladder Petelin shares that there’s never a dull moment or two similar days, as he handles the deliveries, marketing, installation trainings and much more. He shares the Turvatikas’ value of personal service with customers to make their needs understood: “My experience in the field of safety ladders and anti-corrosion systems has given me a keen understanding of how important it is to connect with your customers on a personal level, and it’s one of my top priorities at EDGE.”
When asked his most memorable project with Turvatikas, he says: “I like this business because every project is a bit different. From 70-meter-high chimneys to 150-meter-deep mine shafts. In the mines, if you drop something and you wait for 15 seconds before you even hear the rumbles in the dark. It can get a bit scary. On another hand, there are the projects where we deliver 14 km of Safety Ladder. When you first see all the material together, a little drop of cold sweat comes down your forehead knowing this needs to be installed in a perfect manner.”
And so they are – everytime.
Marko’s tip for safe working:
“Check the carriage before climbing, and always inspect the ladder parts when going up”.
Would you be interested becoming a distributor on your own area? Reach out to us and let’s discuss what the market opportunity for your company would be like!