This year 14-16 September we are hosting the group-level Digital Summit 2022 in Varazdin, Croatia. The agenda is shaping up and arrangements are being made for the gathering of representatives from all the companies operating in Emil Frey Group. 

The conference will focus on the emerging technologies and solutions accelerating the digital transformation in the automotive industry. Topics will range from how digital brings competitive edge across the supply chain to changing customer expectations in the connected car era.

Emil Frey Digital will hold presentations, meetings and roundtables on the accelerating digital innovation in the automotive industry, and how we enable it across the Emil Frey Group. This reputable Swiss-based family company operates in 15 European countries and has been on an exciting digitization journey. We expect valuable discussions and feedback to contribute to our roadmap - stay tuned for more from our innovation lab!

This year 14-16 September we are hosting the group-level Digital Summit 2022 in Varazdin, Croatia. The agenda is shaping up and arrangements are being made for the gathering of representatives from all the companies operating in Emil Frey Group.

The conference will focus on the emerging technologies and solutions accelerating the digital transformation in the automotive industry.

We are excited to share that the construction of our new office building in Varazdin’s Brezje Business Zone is progressing well and according to plan! With each new day, the future company headquarters nears completion, which makes us both proud and impatient about moving into the brand-new workspace.

It will hold all our 100+ employees – excellent engineers powering innovation in the European automotive industry. Based around modern architecture and design principles, the innovation centre will make use of renewable energy sources and provide high-quality work environment for everyone at Emil Frey Digital.

With our Ivana Ratkaj and Sanja Djurkas constantly on site, and dozens of construction workers super-busy finishing things up, we expect the building to be fully functional and equipped this spring. 

We are excited to share that the construction of our new office building in Varazdin’s Brezje Business Zone is progressing well and according to plan! 

With the heavy machinery arriving to our 7,5 thousand square meters of land in Brezje Business Zone in Varazdin, Croatia, things are unfolding fast! The construction of the new Emil Frey Digital headquarters has started - foundations are being set for the modern building expected to be finished and equipped within 12 months.

The 3-floor office building is envisioned as modern in style and comfortable in its organisation of space. As the future center of innovation of the Emil Frey Group, it will provide superb working environment for 100+ engineers and technicians powering digital innovation at one of the Europe’s largest car distributors. 

The new energy-efficient headquarters will have a large parking lot and modern office spaces with conference rooms, phone booth-style areas and terraces. It will make a maximum use of natural light and have renewable energy power its cooling and heating systems. Stay tuned for more updates from our construction site!

The construction of the new Emil Frey Digital headquarters has started - foundations are being set for the modern building expected to be finished and equipped within 12 months.

Today Emil Frey Digital hosted a party celebrating the official opening of the new company headquarters - a modern, energy efficient building comprising a total of 1850 square meters of space, where 100+ company employees are already working, having moved there earlier in May. The new building is located in Brezje Business Zone in Varazdin, Croatia. 

Construction started in April 2021 on 7,5 thousand square meters of land which the company bought from the City of Varazdin. Cooling and heating systems rest on renewable energy sources. 

We were delighted to welcome Mr Heinz Schneiter, Director Central Europe and member of the Emil Frey Group executive board who officially opened the building for business, as well as many other esteemed guests from Emil Frey Group.

Mr Slobodan Mikac, the General Consul of Croatia in Switzerland was also our guest. Varazdin mayor Mr Neven Bosilj and his deputy Mr Miroslav Markovic congratulated Emil Frey Digital and wished the company all the best in the upcoming years.

Today Emil Frey Digital hosted a party celebrating the official opening of the new company headquarters - a modern, energy efficient building comprising a total of 1850 square meters of space, where 100+ company employees are already working, having moved there earlier in May. The new building is located in Brezje Business Zone in Varazdin, Croatia.

Today Emil Frey Digital hosted a party celebrating the official opening of the new company headquarters.

A big day for us! We are thrilled to share that we have just moved to our newly built offices - a modern, energy-efficient 3-floor building in Brezje Business Zone in Varazdin, Croatia. The party saw us sharing memorable moments of our journey over food and drinks - it has been almost 5 years since Emil Frey Digital was incorporated as the center of digital innovation for the Group. 

Built and owned by Emil Frey Group, our new headquarters can hold up to 150 employees. It is equipped with modern offices, meeting rooms, conferencing systems, large terrace and chill-out spaces, a comfortable parking area for cars and bikes, and much more.

Our team of 100 continues to write our long-term story, with a significant growth period ahead. Looking forward to the future and many new colleagues joining us in our beautiful new home. Reach out to hear more or arrange a visit! 

A big day for us! We are thrilled to share that we have just moved to our newly built offices - a modern, energy-efficient 3-floor building in Brezje Business Zone in Varazdin, Croatia. The party saw us sharing memorable moments of our journey over food and drinks - it has been almost 5 years since Emil Frey Digital was incorporated as the centre of digital innovation for the Group.

We have just moved to our newly built offices - a modern, energy-efficient 3-floor building in Brezje Business Zone in Varazdin, Croatia.

Big day at Emil Frey Digital: We throw a party as we move into our new building

This week we presented our organisation, work, and technologies to students at the Faculty of Organisation and Informatics in Varazdin, as they hosted their annual Career Week. We were delighted to speak with the talented youth at the fair which introduces fresh opportunities in the job market, while also providing a glimpse into the world of work.

To make things more interactive, we hosted a workshop with examples of applications and digital platform modules we have built for our customers in the automotive industry. It was an opportunity for students to get a sense of the digital products coming out of our innovation lab, and to get nice awards, too.

Some of the students already have experience with software and digital projects; others have been eager to hear more about the company, how we do things, how our teams operate and what a job at Emil Frey Digital would look like. It was a busy and fulfilling day for our developers and the HR team, with enlightening chats on what the digital future of the automotive industry could hold, and the role we play in creating it today.

Emil Frey Digital will continue to showcase the leading-edge digital solutions we build for the automotive industry in 15 European countries. If you could not attend the fair and speak with our team face to face, fear not. You can learn more about the company and check our openings. We love to hear from motivated, forward-looking individuals at any time.

This week we presented our organisation, work, and technologies to students at the Faculty of Organisation and Informatics in Varazdin, as they hosted their annual Career Week.

Careers week at FOI was super busy this year

At Emil Frey Digital, 70 percent of the employees are FOI alumni who now lead the development of digital platforms for the international automotive industry

At Emil Frey Digital, which recently moved into the newly built company headquarters, 73 out of the 103 employees are former students of the Faculty of Organization and Informatics (FOI) in Varazdin, Croatia. That is the result of a long-term cooperation of the tech company and the faculty, which in the new academic year will expand into new models through further involvement of industry experts in teaching and extracurricular activities for FOI students.

FOI Dean prof. Nina Begicevic Redep, PhD, and Head of Student Support Center prof. Katarina Pazur Anicic, PhD, have met with the company representatives at the new premises to discuss the extended collaboration models.

HR Business Partner at Emil Frey Digital Marina Biro and Head of People Operations Ivana Ratkaj gave Ms Begicevic Redep and Ms Pazur Anicic a tour of the new building, located in the Brezje Business Zone in Varazdin, Croatia. The company has accelerated on its growth path and is looking to expand further, Ivana and Marina said.

So far, experts from Emil Frey Digital contributed to work-based learning, problem-based learning, and the job shadowing model of professional practice, which is mandatory at all FOI study levels.

"In developing new forms of collaboration, we are focused on intensive programs for students and guest lectures by industry experts. FOI recognizes these to be the most useful methods of learning through work, and we will develop them further in partnership with this renowned international IT company located right in our hometown. IT industry has taken the lead in the economic development of Varazdin, which is in large part due to the work of the academia and companies like this one," said Ms Begicevic Redep.

"We are extremely proud of our collaboration with the Faculty of Organization and Informatics, which has been going on since the very beginnings of Emil Frey Digital. We plan to expand the partnership in the coming months. Early on, Career Weeks by FOI and the Student Support Center helped Emil Frey Digital to establish itself in our regional IT community. In the last 5 years, our company has grown from 17 to 105 employees, 70% of whom are former FOI students. As a development and innovation hub of the Emil Frey Group, a leading European car dealer and importer with operations in 15 countries, we are at the forefront of digital development in the automotive industry, which keeps blazing a trail in digital transformation." – Marina and Ivana said.

They invited final-year FOI students to contact Emil Frey Digital and learn more about opportunities for both their mandatory student internships and full-time employment.

Future collaboration of FOI and Emil Frey Digital will also benefit from the new cpsrk.foi website and mobile application. Created by Student Support Center, it enables a faster and more meaningful connection between students and employers like Emil Frey, Ms Pazur Anicic explained. 

At Emil Frey Digital, 70 percent of the employees are FOI alumni who now lead the development of digital platforms for the international automotive industry.

At Emil Frey Digital, 70 percent of the employees are former FOI students who lead the digital development of platforms in the automotive industry.

Partnership with Faculty of Organization and Informatics to expand into new models

Following the devastating 6.2 earthquake that hit central Croatia on the 29th of December, Emil Frey Group members operating in the country have used an urgent procedure to donate HRK 1 million towards the state-wide efforts to help the population of the Sisak-Moslavina County.

On behalf of its member companies registered in Croatia, Emil Frey Group has donated an equivalent of 133 300 EUR to the national Red Cross. Member companies include Autocommerce Hrvatska, C-Automobil Import, Emil Frey Auto Centar, Emil Frey Digital, P-Automobil Import, Star Import and Frey Services.

Hours after the earthquake, access to overnight shelter, heating, food, and clothing was critical, as thousands of buildings in the Sisak-Moslavina County – including private homes and public institutions – were heavily damaged. As people are being evacuated from ruins, authorities are working on re-establishing access to critical infrastructure so that rescue efforts can continue. 

Following the devastating earthquake that hit central Croatia on the 29th of December, Emil Frey Group members operating in the country have used an urgent procedure to donate HRK 1 million towards the state-wide efforts to help the population of the Sisak-Moslavina County.

EFG donation to relieve the earthquake effects in Croatia

Emil Frey Group donates HRK 1 M following disastrous earthquake in Croatia

Mid-September saw our company hosting Digital Summit International 2022 for more than 50 colleagues from Emil Frey Group members in Central and Western Europe. Over the course of three days, we engaged in workshops, lectures, and conversations on the auto-industry digital future, as we aligned around the Group-level digital strategy.

It all started with gathering at the Emil Frey Digital new office building in Varazdin, Croatia, and a welcome word by Emil Frey Digital d.o.o. managing director Nikola Novakovic.

Participants shared country-specific experiences, challenges and opportunities; we looked into the core systems unification, roadmaps, and how to serve customers better and faster via a growing number of digital platforms and devices.

Automotive industry remains in a fast-changing mode. With emerging technologies redefining the landscape at the speed of light, digital remains a major source of advantage moving forward, participants said. Removing friction in car buying, maintenance and insurance is paramount in all the markets we serve, we concluded.

Massive thanks to all the colleagues that participated this year. Country-level experiences and perspectives were both informative and enlightening and will help steer our future work. Together we are committed to improving how millions of people discover, buy, and service their cars in 15 European countries!

Mid-September saw our company hosting Digital Summit International 2022 for more than 50 colleagues from Emil Frey Group members in Central and Western Europe.

Digital Summit International 2022 tackles vital industry topics

With the fall settling in, we still got to enjoy some sea and sun this year! Late this September the Emil Frey Digital crew travelled to the beautiful Crvena Luka resort on the Adriatic coast for our three-day team building. It was packed with great food and lots of outdoor fun. Add to that some relaxing moments in wellness and spa, and you get a weekend that helped us recharge.

Our Dalmatian destination was quite far, some six- or seven-hours’ drive from our base in Varazdin, so the trip itself was something of an adventure. We got ourselves a different ambience this year, choosing the blue and green landscapes of the Adriatic coast. The change in physical environment helped us take a break from our everyday routines, unleashing a bit of quirk and creativity, too.

Team games brought quite some excitement – people dressed in large yellow balloons were seen wrestling. Their dedication was commendable, but laws of motion kept getting in the way. 

Football aficionados made sure to play out in the open. Kudos to the winning team, and all the others for their hearty participation. After all, for some at EFD team football is the most important of the least important things!

The Mediterranean scenery seemed to have had a relaxing effect on some, while others appeared invigorated, ready for bits of comedy and humour as our gathering went on.

Memories of our hilarious Formula 1 race are still echoing strong. “Build your car and win the race!” - they said. And we took it seriously 😊 Perfect weather, cheerful mood, and basic equipment was all we needed to build our unique “F1 race cars” (things like improvisation and do-it-yourself attitude came in handy) and the competition could start. 

Check out our superpower car race and try guessing how long it took the fastest team to put together these miraculous vehicles – and finish the race.

Disclaimer: Any similarity to the actual Emil Frey Racing supercar is purely coincidental.

Late this September the Emil Frey Digital crew travelled to the beautiful Crvena Luka resort on the Adriatic coast for our three-day team building.

EFD-style Formula 1: Build your car and win the race!

The Emil Frey Group delegation, of which we were part, recently travelled to Tel Aviv to meet with the most prominent U.S. and Israeli startups innovating in smart mobility, image processing and automotive AI.

Our schedule was full; we spoke with the energetic people and companies that will play a massive role in the digitalization of the auto-industry in the coming years. The conversations with founders and their teams were fruitful, leading our delegation to identify areas of top interest and assess the potential for collaboration.

We took an in-depth look at the ideas and solutions of each of the companies we met with. Reducing friction in the customer journey remains one of the startups’ main concerns; they are constantly working to improve the online sales funnel at various points. For example, a next-generation video platform has gone above and beyond to connect buyers with a sales expert over a high-quality product demo. We also explored an AI-driven marketing platform for car dealers, and an interactive video platform that promises to turn website visits into face-to-face conversations.

Some of the innovators we spoke with are capitalizing on the power of social connections and the social aspect of buying. Among them is a solution that takes shoppers into real-time, interactive product sessions with influencers, offering them discounts when buying with friends.

Data-driven fleet logistics and vehicle-as-a-service platforms are another major focus area. Powered by machine learning, they look to help fleet managers maximize both revenues and fleet utilization. AI-backed damage inspection solutions are on the rise, too, seeking ways to automate damage detection, analysis, and processing. The idea is to do it without special equipment or highly skilled personnel.

For years now, Tel Aviv has been one of the world’s strongest startup ecosystems. Ranking #7 in the Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) in both 2021 and 2022, the city is highlighted as having the same level of large exits as Los Angeles and London. Furthermore, Tel-Aviv is seeing high levels of startup funding consistently. “Its strength in early-stage funding indicates the ecosystem’s innovation”, according to GSER 2022, released by Startup Genome in June 2022.

Tel Aviv: Meetings with exceptional startups are fruitful

Five years ago today, Emil Frey Digital was born as a development and innovation hub of Emil Frey Group, the family-owned Swiss business with century-long tradition. Becoming part of Europe’s largest car distributor was a huge milestone in our journey, and we happily celebrate it every year.

This time we gave a party in our winter garden and awarded our worthy jubilees. Fifteen employees that have been with the company for five years got their well-deserved recognition and gifts, intended to show gratitude for their loyalty and contribution. 

Over cakes and drinks, we shared memories of the past 5 years. They have been prosperous: we have scaled our organisation and expertise, taking on some of the most challenging digital projects in the automotive industry, which is both fast and disruptive in its digitialisation. 

Managing Director Nikola Novakovic gave an overview of the company perfrormance. With more than 100 employees and growing, Emil Frey Digital is one of the biggest and fast-growing software development company in Northern Croatia. As a partner of top automotive brands, our innovation lab plays a transformative role in the digitalisation of car distribution, and customer journey in automotive industry across Europe.

Five years ago today, Emil Frey Digital was born as a development and innovation hub of Emil Frey Group, the family-owned Swiss business with century-long tradition.

Emil Frey Digital is celebrating its 5th birthday

Emil Frey Digital and Mercedes-Benz have forged a partnership to further enhance the digital experiences and solutions that underpin the international distribution of Mercedes-Benz vehicles and services.

The two companies will work together on a new digital platform that will combine the best practices and solutions of Emil Frey Group and Mercedes-Benz. Focus areas were agreed upon between June and October.

The comprehensive platform will serve car distributors, car dealers and customers in all the countries in which Emil Frey Group operates. It will cover critical areas in the automotive sales process, such as the integration of the online and offline customer journey, luxury digital experience, omnichannel commerce for general distributors, the aftersales process, single view of customer activity, and much more. 

Earlier this year, Mercedes-Benz team spent several days in workshops in Varazdin, Croatia, at Emil Frey Digital's headquarters; both teams shared their vision, and actions they believed would make it come to life. A series of meetings followed, adding more detail to the arrangement, in terms of technical architecture, data governance, analytics, and insights. The roadmap came from the shared vision of the digital future, and a commitment to work towards it together.

-We are pleased that Mercedes-Benz has recognized the value and quality of digital solutions coming out of the Emil Frey Digital innovation lab. In our sessions together we have identified ways to fuel the digital performance and customer journey. For us at Emil Frey Digital, this partnership is an acknowledgement of the world-class expertise we’ve built in the automotive industry digital transformation. We remain committed to building solutions that serve the needs of end customers, manufacturers, and distributors, said Nikola Novakovic, Managing Director at Emil Frey Digital.

Mercedes-Benz, world’s most valuable luxury automotive brand, keeps undertaking steps across its digital footprint to ensure top-quality customer journeys in all the countries and markets it serves.

Among other things, Mercedes-Benz works towards the functional bundling of processes and harmonization of IT infrastructure supporting their vehicles distribution. Their dedicated team of digital experts, based out of Dubai, works with independent car dealers around the world to create and advance luxury customer experiences. 

As one of the largest European distributors of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, Emil Frey Group will play a major role in the program through Emil Frey Digital, its own innovation centre which has a strong track record of advancing critical automotive business processes via top-notch digital solutions. Emil Frey Digital works closely with car manufacturers to ensure that digital processes underpinning the value chain are in alignment with the digital strategy.

Emil Frey Digital partners with Mercedes-Benz to build luxury customer experiences globally

Beginning of December around 400 employees of Emil Frey Group from Zagreb, Varazdin and Split gathered in Zagreb's Peti Kupe Club for the traditional Christmas party.

It's a get-together with lots of great music and festive spirit; it is also a time when our Heinz Schneiter, Director Central Europe and member of the Emil Frey Group executive board shares the Group's achievements and plans for the future. 

There's reason to look towards 2023 with optimism, Heinz said. Automotive industry, a global leader in digital transition, is showing no sign of easing its innovation pace.

People came in from Zagreb, Varazdin and Split, as the employees of seven Croatia-based Emil Frey Group members, including Autocommerce Hrvatska, C-Automobil Import, Emil Frey Auto Centar, Emil Frey Digital, P-Automobil Import, Star Import and Frey Services. The opportunity was perfect to introduce Emil Frey Logistics, another Group member which was registered just days before the party. 

Live music and disco lights added to the festive flavour, together with an excellent DJ and the merry crowd showing some serious dancing talent.

Many thanks to the party organizers from Star Import – once again they went above and beyond to host an experience we'll keep in our hearts and minds for a very long time!

Nearly 50 children attended this year's Kids' Christmas Show hosted at our headquarters in Varazdin, Croatia. Halls brimmed with energy and spirit as our employees' children arrived with their parents to see the interactive theatrical performance and meet with Santa Claus – an encounter that is rarely short of excitement.

Speaking with him is a rare privilege, too, which some kids used to ask quirky questions and even favours. Some used the spotlight to host an improvised show of their own.

Gifts were a source of delight; so was Santa's spectacular entrance.

The costumed performance by an actor was sprinkled with narration, rhyme, and comedy. As the story said, Santa Claus got stuck with getting the letters this year, and children of the audience were asked to help find the solution. Luckily, things were brought to a successful end, and Santa arrived with presents for everyone.

Nearly 50 children attended this year's Kids' Christmas Show hosted at our headquarters in Varazdin, Croatia. 

Theatricals and gifts abound at Kids' Christmas Show

It is a tradition at Emil Frey Digital to end the year with an all-hands meeting, and this time was no different. Earlier today we heard an overview of our business in 2022, and direction for 2023.  

This year was successful for our growing organisation by many standards. We moved into the new headquarters, grown in the number of employees and projects delivered; we expanded our partnerships and expertise. And these are only some of the highlights in our 5th year since joining the Emil Frey Group, one of the most respected family businesses in Europe.

The accomplishments would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of all our employees. 

On a more festive note, Secret Santa has become an indispensable piece of our holiday season. Recent years saw it growing in popularity all over the world, so you may even find apps that will help you host it in your organisation.

From Christmas socks, cups and blankets to chocolate delicacies, gifts abounded under our huge Christmas tree, sparking imagination and joy in both the givers and the recipients. The idea is to get to know a coworker better by finding a present that will make them happy. It is not as easy as it seems, and the randomness of it adds to the thrill for sure!

It is a tradition at Emil Frey Digital to end the year with an all-hands meeting, and this time was no different. Earlier today we heard an overview of our business in 2022, and direction for 2023. 

On February 9th our Martin Spernjak and Marko Mozina attended Atlassian's Unleash conference, held in Berlin. The conference brought together leading Atlassian clients and partners, as well as product development leaders who use Atlassian products in software development organizations around the globe.

They participated in multiple workshops with Atlassian experts and partners, discussing the best solutions for implementing the “Agile at scale” approach in software development, as well as the implementation of these concepts in EFD. They also had the opportunity to talk to representatives of some of the world's leading product-driven software development companies that have undergone an organizational transformation and that have implemented scaled agile principles in their work, including Spotify, Vodafone, KPMG, Lumen, and others. The event was a great opportunity for gathering valuable insights and experience from colleagues, too.

Among the participants from today's leading technology companies was Robert Herjavec, originally from Varazdin, who enjoys a great reputation in both the business community and the general public in North America. 

The keynote and other presentations gave an insight into industry trends in product development and agile at-scale transformation. We had a great networking and learning time at the Adaptavist Group's evening gathering and fireside chat with amazing speakers from venITure, Adapatavist, and Aligned Agility who shared their insights and expertise. 

From left to right: Samsoor Hemat (CEO, venITure), Alexander Post (Managing Director, venITure), Tina Marie Behers (Vice President, Aligned Agility), Michael Maheu (Global Director of Professional Services, Adaptavist)

Several days before the conference, leading Atlassian partners visited our office in Varazdin - Enterprise Transformation Coach and Strategist Tina Marie Behers, as well as Kristijan Luburic and Alexander Post of the VenITure company with whom we are considering the introduction of additional tools from Atlassian's portfolio and further steps in the the Agile at scale transformation journey.

On February 9th our Martin Spernjak and Marko Mozina attended Atlassian's Unleash conference, held in Berlin. The conference brought together leading Atlassian clients and partners, as well as product development leaders who use Atlassian products in software development organizations around the globe. 

Highlights from Atlassian's Unleash conference in Berlin

We marked the International Women's Day with a special gathering at our HQ in Varazdin, raising a toast to our ladies' achievements and presenting some thoughtful gifts. 

Company COO Marko Mozina highlighted the important role of women in Emil Frey Digital, both on product development teams and in management, finance, and HR. Ever since it was founded, our organization has had women excelling in leadership and strategic positions; we remain dedicated to creating opportunities for new generations of women to prosper in our international ICT environment. 

-It is paramount that we maintain an inclusive work environment, and make sure the opportunity is equal. Our company is all about innovation, progress, research and development. I believe women of different backgrounds and affinities will find Emil Frey Digital a place of opportunity and reward, Marko said. 

In recent years, our digital innovation center in Varazdin, Croatia, has welcomed a number of younger-generation female engineers. We are mindful of their future progression toward senior and leadership roles. 

While the trends around the participation of women in the IT workforce is positive, the pace of change is still slower than desired. According to Eurostat, women made around 22% of the Croatian IT workforce in 2021, while the European average was 17%. At EFD, we are proud to exceed the European average by having 24% of women occupying diverse positions within our organization.

Declaration of Commitment on Women in Digital emphasizes that "the increase in the share of women in the ICT sector will be critical in Europe’s efforts to build a more sustainable economy and society through digital innovation.”

International Women's Day originated in the late 19th century, at a turbulent time in the history of civil and voting rights. These days, it is an occasion to honor the ground-breaking achievements of women in technology. The 19th-century British mathematician Ada Lovelace is widely considered to be the first ever programmer. As humans moved to explore space, the contributions of the computer scientist Margaret Hamilton were vital in developing software that powered the Apollo program. Most recently, the attention is turned towards Mira Murati, CTO at OpenAI, creators of the AI-powered ChatGPT. Having and promoting role models is often seen as an important agent of change. As editor Alan Burkitt-Gray said in a recent analysis at Capacity Media - if you can see them, you can be them! 

Last week our QA automation workshop sparked an interest among 3rd year computer science students at FOI. There was even a waiting list, but for technical and organisational reasons we could only offer 15 seats.

EFD experts Marko Horvat, Leon Lukman, and Mihael Andjel were the masters of ceremony. They explained the hows and the whys of quality assurance automation, an area expected to gain in importance in the years ahead.

In software development, more and more time goes towards testing. This is due to the growing number of functionalities that an average application has. Unsurprisingly, automated tests are becoming a necessity in the continuous delivery of digital products.

Our guys introduced students to the basic concepts in quality assurance, as well as the testing types and techniques. They explained automated tests and tools that can run them. Students also heard about the types of bugs and how to report them. There were opportunities for some practice and simulation, too. We challenged the group to find and report as many bugs as possible in a scenario that looked a lot like our real work environment. Their performance was great; the most successful bug hunters earned themselves presents.

Our guys also demonstrated how to run an automated test in the Cypress tool. Even though manual testing is still the most common, the value of automated testing is coming to the fore. Lately, many automated testing tools appeared, helping dev organisations improve software quality. Automated tests are scripts that simulate the ways users interact with an application. They aim to test as much functionality as possible, and they can reduce the need for manual testing.

Quality assurance plays a major role in the development of software products. It’s a step you never want to compromise on. If you care about your product quality, you will be both serious and thorough with your QA. It is the foundation of trust that clients place in a digital product and the organization behind it.

This workshop at Varazdin's Faculty of Informatics and Organization (FOI) was a part of their Workshops Days 2023. It is one in many activities and career events offered to students throughout the year, looking to help them prepare for the job market.

Participating in the education of the future experts is both a privilege and responsibility. We were happy to see the great interest in the topic, and we look forward to meeting again soon!

The hows and whys of quality assurance automation

In mid-May, a group of 3rd year students from Varazdin’s Faculty of Organisation and Informatics (FOI) completed their internship in our organization.

They got to know our company, products and 5 typical job roles in the IT industry. The 21-year-olds did a great job developing a simple Angular-based web application, which was the final step of their 40-hour internship at Emil Frey Digital. 

Our employees Tomica Pogorelc, Jurica Martinčević, Robert Burić, Martin Lacko and Tadej Vujević told them more about EFD, about the Swiss group of which we are a part, and about the digital products we develop. 

We hosted job shadowing for the positions of Product owner, Scrum master, Frontend and Backend developer and Quality assurance tester. 

-We are proud of this outstanding group of students! They were attentive and observant, asking relevant questions. They were eager to solve the final assignment and we noticed some enviable skills in debugging, too. There’s good reason to believe that they will use their future career opportunities well, mentors said.

We also asked youngsters what the experience was like for them. This is what they said:

-Job shadowing allowed me to better understand the dynamics of working in IT. I found teamwork and cooperation very stimulating. Colleagues and lecturers were professional and friendly. This internship strengthened my self-confidence and opened up new perspectives. Now I have a clearer vision of my career and I feel ready for future challenges. I would recommend to other students to take the opportunity to intern at EFD. It was exceptional! (Tomislav M.)

-I gained practical experience and saw the range of work that goes with each position. Thanks to the mentoring and support of colleagues who were extremely hospitable, I feel more confident about my decisions and the direction in which I intend to develop my career. (Filip S.)

-The atmosphere was always relaxed. They are open and approachable, I could always ask questions and dive deeper into what I was interested in. My internship at EFD influenced how I think about my future career in IT. (Josip B.)

-At the end, we had an interesting team assignment in which we used some of the acquired knowledge. I like that we got feedback and advice for our assignment. Overall, the experience was extremely interesting and useful. (Leon R.)

We wish them all the success in their future IT careers!

They got to know our company, products and 5 typical job roles in the IT industry.

Students learning about tech jobs and products

More than 900 students, 150 judges and several hundred visitors will gather in the Varazdin Arena from June 7 to 10 for the European RoboCupJunior Championship 2023. Taking place in Croatia for the first time, the competition will gather top young roboticists from 15 countries.

Varazdin was chosen as host due to its notable success in robotics over the past 10 years, professor Ivica Kolarić told the regional weekly. He is the Head of Center of Excellence for Robotics of Varazdin County and the representative of Croatia in the RoboCup organization.

Young roboticists of Varazdin County won bronze at the World Championship in Thailand last year. The European Championship in Portugal saw them winning four gold and four silver medals. On top of that, some 200 students from all over our county, aged 7 to 18, participate in the activities of the Robotics Center. They assemble the robots themselves and “teach” them to do all kinds of things. 

Emil Frey Digital is happy to sponsor the championship, as a way of supporting learning and excellence in this important STEM field. We believe that international competitions such as these help develop social and personal skills as well. We wish the participants a warm welcome to our beautiful town, and lots of success with their robots and projects.

Save the dates - see you at the European RoboCupJunior Championship 2023 in Varazdin! (Free entry)

This June: Varazdin hosting European RoboCupJunior Championship 2023

These days we discovered some gorgeous spots in Međimurje County and had our share of action and adventure, as our team building went on at the very north of Croatia.

We set off to the Mađerka hill (Mađerkin breg) overlooking the small town of Štrigova. Believe it or not, from that spot you can see the lands of five countries: Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia. What you need to do is climb up the newly built 27-meter high viewpoint tower. And make sure you do it on a clear day. Our hike up was rewarded with spectacular views of the surrounding vineyards, green hills and mysterious landscapes in the distance. No wonder they call this a place where the land is in love with the skies! 

Afterwards, we had some wine while hanging out in the open and enjoying the warm mid-September.

And then, surprise! A stand-up comedian took the stage and made us laugh to tears! Laughter turned into our top exercise. It kept going until the evening when we switched to a disco mode, with the help of cocktail experts and “fotkaona”, a photo booth that captured our funniest moments. We left the dance floor only in the early morning, even though we knew a day of adrenaline-packed activities was ahead.

Our second day was seriously competitive! We split into teams and tried a bunch of sports and competitions at the nearby Accredo adrenaline center. It was challenging, but also a lot of fun. The evening got us back in the groove with our DJ playing hits until late into the night. 

The weekend flew by in the blink of an eye. Before we knew it, we were heading back home, with impressions and memories that promise to stay with us for a long time. Until the next get-together!

Team building adventure: Memorable moments in Croatian north

Have you ever been in a start-up with a small team where everything just worked? Everyone was on the same page and knew what was going on. But the company started to grow and you started to see problems that weren’t there before. That’s when you heard about Scrum, and it sounded like the perfect solution. You read the Scrum Guide and thought you were ready to implement it, but it didn’t take long to realize that the ideal Scrum team from the book was very different from the real Scrum team at your company. You understood that you could not just copy-paste Scrum; you needed to adapt it to your own needs. And then came the most challenging part – figuring out what to keep and what to change while preserving the essence of Scrum, without creating a mutated framework that was Scrum only in its name.

This is how our Scrum Master Natalia Jalušić shaped the story of our journey and experience with Scrum, the most widespread framework for agile development. Titled “How we implemented Scrum”, Natalia’s speech was on the agenda of JavaCro, the esteemed annual conference of developers held in Rovinj, Croatia in mid-October.

Natalia Jalušić had some company at the conference too – our colleagues Nino Magić, Valentina Krhlanko, Darko Gajić, and Kristijan Oberling were all in attendance.

Ever since it rose to prominence at the turn of the millennium, Scrum became probably the most accepted system for agile project management. It gave software companies principles for managing and scaling dev teams, responding to customer needs faster, building better products, and much more.

Natalia described our implementation journey – how we started, what obstacles we faced, what immediately proved effective, what we saw as long-term losses, and what we considered as gains. Dev process in our organization is complex, given that we build many interconnected products for the automotive industry. While we are still fine-tuning our Scrum implementation, we can say that we’ve established a good process that works well, she said at the conference.

There was a lot of nodding in the audience - signs of recognition - when Natalia spoke about challenges we faced. That was not surprising, as many organizations are looking to carve their own Scrum implementation, which is not an easy task, and similar types of problems are likely to pop out along the way. Sharing and hearing real experiences is of great value, Natalia said.

After the presentation, Natalia took questions from the audience. Some contributors showed skepticism towards the effectiveness of Scrum, while others shared benefits they’ve seen from this framework. - We heard different perspectives, sparked some laughter with Jerry Seinfeld jokes, and shared experiences in a great atmosphere. All in all, I think the session was informative and useful, Natalia concluded.

At the recent JavaCro'23 conference in Rovinj, Croatia, our Scrum Master, Natalia Jalušić, shared the story of our journey and experience with Scrum, the widely adopted framework for agile development. Her presentation, titled “How we Implemented Scrum” provided valuable insights into our Scrum implementation.

At the recent JavaCro conference in Rovinj, Croatia, our Scrum Master, Natalia Jalušić, shared the story of our journey and experience with Scrum, the widely adopted framework for agile development. Her presentation, titled “How we Implemented Scrum” provided valuable insights into our Scrum implementation.

Natalia Jalušić at JavaCro'23: How we adapted Scrum to meet our needs

We recently concluded another Career Week at the Faculty of Organization and Informatics (FOI) in Varazdin, where we took part in the Career Stroll and hosted a workshop for final-year students.

At the Career Stroll, students got to learn more about what our company does and what it has to offer future employees. To add a touch of excitement, we had a knowledge quiz with great prizes.

The most thrilling part was the Car Configurator Think Tank workshop, where students got to be the main developers. It was a real-world challenge, and the 18 available seats filled up fast. They worked in teams to create a technical specification based on user stories about the Car Configurator. Solutions were presented to our Martin Lacko, Andreas Grđan, and Marko Horvat, who assessed the work and rewarded the most successful team with gift vouchers for IT equipment.

-The work we’ve seen with the Car Configurator was excellent. It wasn’t easy to pick winners. I think the participants got a sense of the difference between programming and code-writing, and why it is important to understand architectures and user stories. These things are becoming more and more relevant in software engineering, with gen AI likely to perform more and more of the low-level coding work, Marina Biro said after the event.

A big thank you to all the students who visited us at the exhibition area and to those who participated in the workshop. Also, a huge thank you to our ambassadors who did a great job showcasing what it is like to work at Emil Frey Digital!

#1 Kudos to the team from Emil Frey Digital, you can see that they put a lot of effort into the workshop. All praises indeed.

#2 Excellently designed and prepared workshop. The workshop leaders created a pleasant working atmosphere, they presented and explained the outcomes and what was expected of the students. They were available all the time and thus made the work easier. I can freely say that this was one of the best workshops I had the opportunity to participate in.

#3 So good people, the workshop was interesting, 2 hours usefully spent. Marin is the most positive person I have ever seen.

We wrapped up yet another Career Week at Faculty of Organization and Informatics (FOI) in Varazdin, where we took part in the Career Stroll and hosted a workshop for final-year students.

Car Configurator hits it big at FOI Career Week

The Christmas spirit was alive and kicking at Tvornica Kulture in Zagreb last Friday, December 1, 2023, when around 400 employees of Emil Frey Group from Zagreb, Varazdin, and Split gathered for an epic Christmas party. The night kicked off with a welcome drink and a tasty buffet.

As per tradition, Heinz Schneiter, Director of Central Europe and a member of the Emil Frey Group executive board, warmly welcomed everyone. He emphasized the significance of the EF family. He shared news about the upcoming celebration of the company's 100th anniversary next year and the plan for a Family Day, where all employees would come together with their families to celebrate the milestone. Heinz expressed gratitude to everyone for effectively handling all the work and challenges that came our way and extended wishes for another successful year.

The night continued with a live band and DJ setting an awesome vibe, getting everyone on their feet. It was a time to relax, connect, and spread some holiday joy—moments we'll be talking about for a while.

Christmas party: A night of celebration and festive spirit

Kids, where do your moms and dads work? The question will not always get the 4-year-olds interested (or 11-year-olds, for that matter), and the idea of visiting their parent's workplace might not excite them much. Unless you bring in a Santa magician, some Christmas lighting and decor, a face painting artist, and other things that make a workplace look more like a theatre or a party site.

It's exactly what we like to do around Christmas time at our headquarters in Varaždin. This year we’ve put up a Christmas show for 46 children. It featured an interactive performance with magic and tricks, animal balloon prizes, and the painting of Spiderman, butterflies, and other masterpieces all over the kids’ faces.

We made sure there was a bag full of gifts, too. Grant it, if you get them to such a party, you better don’t let them leave empty-handed. In the end, our Christmas gathering on December 10 was just as we had hoped it would be – full of laughs and joy, and a sense of togetherness. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Winter school break is on, but learning isn’t off! From February 19-23, over a hundred children and teens from across the country are participating in the 29th Winter School of Computer Science, held in Čakovec, Croatia. It is a gathering of young minds brushing up on their computer science skills and making new friendships.

Various workshops are being held, including those on Computer Algorithms, Advanced Logo, Python, C/C++/STL, 3D modeling and printing, Lego robotics, Scratch Lego, and many others.

Organised by Croatian Informatics Associations, the Winter School of Computer Science is hosted with the help of two esteemed local associations - MIS (Young IT Professionals) and MIK (Međimurje Computer Club). Emil Frey Digital was proud to contribute gifts for participants, and promote the winter school on our social media channels.

Why are programs like this important? The story of our colleague Nino Cerovec says it all. Early on, Nino started participating in computer and science programs such as this one, organized by local associations in Northern Croatia. Over the years, he built for himself a successful career in tech, without having to go far from home. Like Nino, many others have used opportunities available in our community.

"I started with computer science early on, and later I graduated from FOI in Varaždin. Today, I am working at a top-notch IT company with an international presence. Here, I constantly learn and improve, using educational programs and the fact that I work with top professionals in their field. Most importantly, I didn't have to go far or abroad to achieve my goals - I did it all right here." 

Nino Cerovec, Software Engineer at Emil Frey Digital

Winter school break is on, but learning isn’t off! From February 19-23, over a hundred children and teens from across the country are participating in the 29th Winter School of Computer Science, held in Čakovec, Croatia.

Winter School of Computer Science: Supporting IT talent and local tech community

Today, on International Girls in ICT Day, we are shining a spotlight on four amazing women on our team. Their stories showcase the awesome skills and contributions that women bring to the world of IT. And they are not the only ladies rocking it here!

Valentina, Backend Developer. She will win you over with her charisma and cheerfulness. Talking to her, you will sense a spirit that doesn't settle easily. Valentina seeks improvement and welcomes challenge. She says her choice of programming wasn't about trends or high pay; it’s a passion that started young. She finds joy in the dynamic nature of her work, as well as in mentoring others. When she's not exploring new places, she enjoys a good book.

Marinela, Project Manager. You will see her lead client presentations in a way that seems like a breeze. Tough questions? Marinela handles them with ease. Known for her problem-solving skills and a talent for reconciling different interests, she loves the thrill of being in the middle of things. She’s been in business and tech for 20 years. This practitioner of Ashtanga yoga spends her weekends cheering on her two pre-teens at their football games.

Josipa, Integration Specialist. She joined Emil Frey Digital as a student intern, eyeing the PL-SQL developer role. We saw her potential and thought integrations could be a perfect fit. She jumped in, and here she is! Josipa jokes about being the shortest person in airsoft matches, unforgiving military simulations in extreme weather and harsh terrains. It’s been her hobby for five years now. At the opposite end is her love for growing plants – a hobby that keeps her busy through spring.

Nena, Jira Administrator. She started as an app developer at a major banking group and stayed there for over 20 years! Switching to auto-industry was a bold move; she felt it was necessary. Nena says she wanted to stay on top of things and join a strong R&D center. She invests in her knowledge and keeps up with technology trends. Nena believes that learning by doing is the way to master a job. She values time spent with family and friends. Languages make her happy, as well as travel and good food.

Read more about their inspiring journeys and explore opportunities to join our team.

Today, on International Girls in ICT Day, we are shining a spotlight on four amazing women on our team. Their stories showcase the awesome skills and contributions that women bring to the world of IT. And they are not the only ladies rocking it here!

International Girls in ICT Day: Shoutout to our ladies

Workshop Days 2024 was a success! Third-year students showed knowledge and creativity in the Solution Crafting workshop, which we recently hosted at the Varaždin’s Faculty of organisation and informatics (FOI). Again, every seat at our workshop was taken. More people wanted to join than we could accommodate; we thought 18 seats would do it, but we managed to fit in two more.

Students were asked to work in groups and create a simple system that would manage potential customers and track their preferences in vehicles and dealerships. Additionally, this system was supposed to allow sales representatives to easily create, view, and manage contacts, making communication and follow-up with potential customers simple.

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