The company’s motto “energy in the cycle of nature” is best characterised by the company’s commitment to remain a leader in biomass production for the next year. Wood pellets under the “Biostar” brand have been produced since October 2013 in our new pellet factory. It is made from a completely natural mixture of beech wood (hardwood) and spruce and fir wood (softwood). Our company is positioned in the heart of mixed evergreen and deciduous forests, on the border of Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro. The geographical position and the raw material base have determined the raw material composition of our wood pellet. With modern machinery that is constantly updated, we have completed our own production cycle: from the extraction of raw materials from forests, procurement and transport – to processing and delivery of finished products to end customers. Beside the pellet production, we also operate a sawmill with dryers and steam rooms, and we produce briquettes and glued beams and boards (the novelties in our product range).
In 2015 we’ve signed a lease agreement with AMSS.
Year of establishment:
2010
Location:
Prijepolje
Founder and owner:
Djordje Ljujic
Business Information
| 2021 | 2015 | 2010 | 2005 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time employees | 147 | / | / | / |
| Turnover (EUR) | 12.8 m | / | / | / |
| Export (EUR) | 2.5 m | / | / | / |
PRODUCTS/SERVICES
COMPANY DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURIAL STORY
PPU DOO STAR JELA was founded in 1992 in Pljevlja, and the company’s headquarters were moved later to Prijepolje. Initially, the company was engaged in primary wood processing. Later on, and owing to dedicated effort of its management, the company’s core business was expanded to purchase, sell and transport wood. To this day, the company has grown into a renowned firm known beyond the borders of Serbia. By entering the secondary wood processing very successfully STAR JELA has demonstrated that it constantly moves forward and keeps an eye on the latest achievements in wood processing. The company has purchases the Heizomat (Germany) mobile crusher. Good business cooperation with AMSS and very close ties with the owners of the German company (equipment producer) – have earned us the position of the general representative of Heizomat, Gunzenhausen, and Maicha 21 for Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo. STAR JELA is a pioneer of biomass production in Serbia. One of the basic challenges we face (like other companies) is the workforce. In contrast, our company is preparing a large project for a new pellet factory, as co-generation will be one of major innovations in this part of Serbia.
CONTRIBUTION TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
We give prime importance to the Goal 8 of the sustainable economy goals, related to employment policy and improvement of management and of technical working conditions. People often have prejudices about hard physical work in the wood industry, which is exclusively a job for men. For years, our company has been trying to keep in step with the latest types of equipment for sawmills (cutting and processing wood). As a result almost 40% of the company’s production staff today are women. To follow innovations (Goal 9) is about expanding the product range (glued beams and boards). It’s also about consistency, which is a rarity for this part of Serbia. The need for new and younger staff is closely related to innovation (Goal 4). STAR JELA has an advantage when it comes to technology and progress, and therefore we always try to bring fresh young people to our company, and to attract new staff (although our municipality falls into the IV degree of underdevelopment). Professional staff is a big problem not only in our county but in the whole country, and therefore we always strive to facilitate progress and further training in addition to work. Goal 7 of the sustainable businesses goals is one of the basic motives for our company. We are trying to close the production cycle and maximise the use of raw materials that arrive at our site. Therefore we use all the waste of our main production to heat industrial halls, offices, or to produce energy.
