Since 1938, when the company was the only veterinary and diagnostic center in Serbia, Veterinary Institution Zemun reached, by means of selected activities based on knowledge and demands of the market, the range of 80 preparations in different pharmaceutical forms, fifty registered products of biological preparations for veterinary use, and animal food products. Creating a good background for the future by constant researching and cooperation with the worldly renowned institutions, today it is constantly entering new programmes of production, modernization of equipment, technology of production and packaging. Veterinary Institution Zemun a.d. Beograd is constantly dealing with research and development of new products as well as with constant improving of the overall performances of the organization, with a view to identify and satisfy the needs and expectations of its users and other stakeholders (personnel, suppliers, owners, society…), to reach a competitive advantage and to do it in efficient and effective way and to realize, maintain and continuously improve the overall organizational performances and capabilities.

As an example of good business practice and corporative marketing, the company Veterinary Institution Zemun, Zekstra Group, organizes already traditional winter educational schools, by which it influences the loyalty of the users, more aware veterinary practice  and improvement of the quality of dedicated products. With lectures by the experts and meeting the end users, by understanding current and future needs of the users, Veterinary Institution Zemun a.d. Beograd strives to giving its users more than they expect. With such policy  the company is affirmed and proved as responsible team  with a clear vision of healthy Serbia.

As successful and modern company, Veterinary Institution Zemun a.d. Beograd follows the needs of its employees, nurtures the talents, interests, skills and knowledge of its personnel. In the previous issue of the SEEbtm magazine, we dedicated the entire issue to how important the team spirit and motivation are for successful organization and how necessary it is to keep organizing education, skill and team spirit development programmes all the time. The common goal of the company and its employees is optimal productivity and satisfaction with the job, which is achieved by continuous investment in professional and personal improvement of each employee. The majority of experts with high professional degree are veterinarians (44,4%), then agronoms (13,3%), pharmacists, economists and jurists (8,8%). However, the internal education is not the only one which Veterinary Institution Zemun pays attention to. Knowing the competitiveness of the market and the need for constant adjusting to the buyers, the company also directed its operations towards education of the end users and bringing the product closer to the buyer through consulting services, as well as towards bringing the buyers’ needs closer to its research team.

Veterinary Institution Zemun has organized traditional winter educational schools in the territory of Serbia this year as well. Can you describe us organizing one of the educational schools you have organized this year? Which part of Serbia did you visit?

One of very successful winter education schools was certainly the one in a distant and really pictoresque village of Stavalj in municipality of Sjenica, organized in local elementary school. It is usual to have our professional lecturers – veterinarians and engineers of technology in such winter educational schools, who use the adjusted presentations wishing to emphasize the importance of proper nutrition in certain categories of animals, as well as prevention of occurrence of certain diseases. The significance of winter schools lays in direct contact made with the immediate user of our products, as all the problems which a farmer encounters can be best observed in the field. The dislocation of their farms and impossibility for more frequent meetings with professional veterinary personnel make winter educational schools extremely important for communication. The practice so far in their organizing confirms a large number of visitors and good coverage by local and regional media. The locals and participants in the presentation in the village of Stavalj took part in discussions with great inspiration and gave suggestions for improvement of further cooperation.

By maintaining as close and efficient relations and communication with the buyers of the products and services as possible, with education, you visited the farthest and the most beautiful parts of the country. Do you plan to organize educational schools in the wider region as well?

Considering that Veterinarian Institution Zemun has a network of its representatives – regional managers within Serbia, all of them are in a way field ambassadors of the company and initiators of the organization of such educational sessions. In accordance thereof, we try to answer the requests coming from the farmers all the way from dislocated farms in Vojvodina to distant villages of wavy central and southern Serbia. Even after educational schools held in the field, the moto of good relational contact with farmers is not ending there. There is an open telephone line within our company via which the veterinarians help the final users of veterinary products and services with their suggestions and proposals.

There are more and more interesting incentive trips which motivate the employees. How do you make a selection of venues for internal educational and team building activities?

The internal company trainings within the entire Zekstra Group are continuously held by our human services department and mostly on the topics of sales improvement techniques, teamwork and better internal and external communication. The annual team building activities have already become a usual practice. Due to a nice blend of satisfaction, relaxation and professionalism, we mostly choose the centers which can offer opportunities to relax and hold a shorter business meeting in short time and it is different place each year, such as e.g. the locations of Country Club Babe, touristic-business center Mokra gora and Palic.

At the last year’s Convention of Veterinarians of Serbia, Your company took a noticeable part. How frequently does Your company participate in professional gatherings, seminars or conferences in the country and in the region?

Veterinary Institution Zemun traditionally participates in all major professional gatherings. Besides the permanent participation at the Convention of Veterinarians of Serbia at the Convention Center ”Sava”, we were also general sponsors of the national conference ”Agrobusiness of Serbia 2010 – International Integrations and Prospects”, at Hyatt Hotel in Belgrade. We are regular participants in all the gatherings organized by Serbian Veterinary Association and College of Veterinary Medicine, as well as in all major fairs in the region, especially in the areas of the Republic of Srpska, Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania.