Ten years ago, the company Thermoflux from Jajce initiated its digital transformation by introducing the programme Pantheon, network devices and new servers. The company has been rapidly developing ever since and progressing as a result of digitalisation, and the number of employees went from 4 to 400. One of these employees is Dino Muslagić, who was hired as an IT officer immediately fresh from university and without prior working experience. By accepting new tasks and challenges in an environment full of young and promising people, Dino got an opportunity to develop an application for the first time as a team member and cooperate with the digital innovation hub Digital Storm.

”I heard about the term ”digital innovation hub” at the faculty. However, I learned about it for the first time at the company when we started creating the app. So, Digital Storm was my first opportunity to learn more about it”, says Dino and emphasizes the importance of such an experience: ”Actually, it was the first time for me to create an app after having completed my studies and gotten a job here. The only other thing that comes to my mind would be developing the app on my own. This was an excellent first learning opportunity”.

The digital innovation hub Digital Storm that developed the app together with Thermoflux, one of the four digital innovation hubs, whose establishment and development was supported by the project ”Innovation and Digitalisation in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Bosnia and Herzegovina/EU4Digital SME”.  Digital Storm is located in Sarajevo and gathers experts, professors, doctors of science, engineers and financial experts in order to support small and medium-sized enterprises through digitalisation and innovation.  

Transition to digital data processing    

The Thermoflux app that was developed in cooperation with Digital Storm made it possible to eliminate paperwork and keep records on services, and the transition to digital data processing also facilitated the retrieval of information:

”The result of the cooperation was a Thermoflux service app that we developed together with them. Such an app actually accelerated the process of installation of boilers and hearths, their servicing, records on installation locations, customers that purchased them, etc. – absolutely all information, including also the essential feedback,” says Muslagić and adds that the process of app development lasted for several months, but that it was simple and easy due to the fact that they worked with like-minded colleagues from Digital Storm.

”I absolutely recommend cooperation with digital innovation hubs to other companies for different reasons. Some of the key reasons include acceleration of production, if they engage in production, reduction of costs and errors, etc. There is absolutely no risk, only progress,” outlined Muslagić.

The young Karlo Lacić, Repair and Technical Support Officer, also got an opportunity to cooperate with this team and work on the development of the app. His role implied identifying all deficiencies of the app and correcting them together with Digital Storm. Lacić says that they also contacted other companies in their search for a partner in order to develop the app:

”Digital Storm presented us their app in the easiest and most practical manner, it was not difficult to take the decision,” Lacić says and expresses satisfaction with the cooperation:

”My experience with Digital Storm was excellent. They have always been available, responded in a short period of time, and resolved all problems that created difficulties in the further development of the app”.

By cooperating with Digital Storm, companies accelerate production, reduce costs and errors and gain access to EU funds. The established digital innovation hubs in Bosnia and Herzegovina will continue implementing digitalisation and innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises and make them more competitive in terms of production, products and services.

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The project ”Innovation and Digitalisation in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Bosnia and Herzegovina” is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Government (BMZ). It aims to develop the economy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a special focus on the digital transformation of business operations. The project is co-funded by the European Union in the framework of the project EU4DigitalSME.