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Energy from renewable sources is globally a very important issue. In order to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, many countries enact laws for enhancing the consumption of renewable energy sources. Sooner or later traditional non-renewable energy sources would have to be replaced with alternative energy sources that are already used in developed countries. According to the European Commission (2018), the EU is already a global leader in the sustainable use of natural resources within an efficient bio-economy. The wood pellet industry is becoming more important and the use of wood pellets is increasing as one of the most important contributors to the renewable energy goals of the EU. Wood pellet is an environmentally acceptable product and its production contributes to desirable rural development and sustainable approach to the management of timber resources. This paper focuses on the market of wood pellets used for heating, pinpointing differences in consumers point of view, and drafting the possibilities of future consumption enhancement. Results revealed a relatively low use of wood pellets in all the three surveyed markets. The highest share of consumers of wood pellets came from the areas with less than 5,000 inhabitants. Such households were mostly over 20 years old. The most important factors to decide to use such source of energy were space (required for the heating system) followed by price of wooden pellets.

In the last decade, the Slovenian furniture industry market has experienced a number of changes, especially with the arrival of new retailers on the market. The situation is such that furniture manufacturers and retailers are still trying to determine the best ways to adjust to new customer demands. A well known thing is that customer satisfaction is the key component for the success of the business. In order for companies to be more successful, it is important to get better insight into customers’ needs and wants. In line with this, the purpose of this study, which compare the surveys conducted in 2010 and 2019, was to observe and analyse changes in the preferences of customers for furniture: materials, attributes, and styles when deciding on new furniture in Slovenia. The results of this research showed that customers’ preferences for furniture materials have changed in the last decade. Similarly, the factors that influence their purchase decisions when buying interior and exterior furniture have changed as well. It was found that wood was widely preferred as a furniture material among the respondents in both years studied.

Prihodnost slovenske lesne industrije leži v fleksibilnih proizvodnjah, ki bodo sposobne hitro razviti in proizvesti visokokvalitetne in cenovno konkurenčne izdelke. Pri razvoju novega izdelka smo uporabili metodo razvoja funkcij kakovosti. Raziskavo smo končali z izgradnjo prvega nivoja hiše kakovosti, to je z določitvijo tehničnih zahtev izdelka, ki optimalno ustrezajo ciljni skupini kupcev, hkrati pa upoštevajo tehnološke zmožnosti in ekonomske zahteve podjetja. Raziskava je pokazala, da kupci želijo izbirati, saj s tem dosežejo maksimalno zadovoljstvo pri prilagajanju njihovim potrebam in željam, hkrati pa dobijo občutek pomembnosti, saj ne izbirajo samo izdelka, ampak tudi vplivajo na določene lastnosti svojega izbora. Pri jedilni mizi, ki je bila predmet naše raziskave, je to predvsem možnost izbiranja velikosti, materiala in površinske obdelave. Nov izdelek se mora kasneje pravilno tržiti, saj je potrebno na nekatere prednostne lastnosti, ki jih ima, kupca posebej opozoriti, ker na prvi pogled niso opazne.

This paper deals with the operational efficiency of companies engaged in the production of wooden chairs using selected statistical and DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) methods. Indicators that typically characterise the supply chain in the production of selected companies were taken as input and output variables for the DEA method. They included three input variables: inventories, material costs and production services costs and one output variable: company’s net profit. The obtained coefficients of correlation pointed to a high degree of correlation between the variables, which justified the performance of an efficiency analysis using the DEA method. The study included 12 companies engaged in the production of wooden chairs. The results of the conducted analyses show that only one company had a relatively satisfactory operational efficiency (efficiency coefficient of 0.83) for the nine-year period. All other companies, especially micro and small enterprises, had unsatisfactorily low operational efficiency. Micro enterprises had the lowest operational efficiency, with an efficiency coefficient of only 0.14. Small enterprises reached the value of 0.3, and large companies 0.67. Medium companies had the most favourable efficiency coefficient of up to 0.83., U radu je analizirana učinkovitost poslovanja tvrtki za proizvodnju drvenih stolica primjenom odabranih statističkih metoda i DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) metode. Kao ulazne i izlazne varijable za DEA metodu izabrani su tipični pokazatelji koji su karakteristični za lanac opskrbe u proizvodnji odabranih tvrtki. To obuhvaća tri ulazne varijable: zalihe, materijalne troškove i troškove proizvodnih usluga te jednu izlaznu varijablu – neto dobit tvrtke. Dobiveni koeficijenti korelacije pokazali su visok stupanj međusobne povezanosti odabranih varijabli, što potvrđuje opravdanost primjene DEA metode za analizu učinkovitosti poduzeća. Istraživanje je obuhvatilo 12 tvrtki koje se bave proizvodnjom drvenih stolica. Rezultati provedene analize pokazuju da je samo jedna od njih u posljednjih devet godina imala relativno zadovoljavajuću učinkovitost poslovanja (koeficijent učinkovitosti 0,83). Sve ostale tvrtke, posebice mikropoduzeća i mala poduzeća, imale su nezadovoljavajuće nisku učinkovitost poslovanja. U mikropoduzećima je zabilježena najmanja učinkovitost poslovanja, s koeficijentom učinkovitosti 0,14. Mala poduzeća postigla su koeficijent učinkovitosti od 0,3, a velika poduzeća od 0,67. Srednja poduzeća imala su najbolji koeficijent učinkovitosti: 0,83.

Recently, partly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies are increasingly shifting their activities to the Internet environment, thus accelerating the growth of online shopping. The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive model for the evaluation of websites of wood companies, as a review of the literature shows that such a model does not yet exist. In developing the model, we used an innovative approach and combined the analytic hierarchy process with R-TOPSIS (technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution), which is a novelty in this field. For the final website assessment, the Website Quality Index (WQI) was developed. The main difference to other indexes is that our model has a comprehensive content background (36 criteria and sub-criteria) and a strong mathematical basis, so that it can be used to independently evaluate a single website or to evaluate a larger group of websites from the same industry. We have tested the model on 60 websites of Slovenian wood industry companies with at least ten employees. The results show the low to moderate average quality of the websites, with an average WQI of all evaluated websites of 0.450, indicating only an acceptable website. It has proven to be easy to use, and the results show the reliability of the website rating. Additionally, the designed model is an important tool for industry website developers and the basis for future studies in this field. However, it can also be applied to other areas related to wood and wood products, where the performance of objects should be evaluated with respect to multiple criteria.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are main generators of employment and economic development in European Union. In Croatia and Slovenia, SMEs in wood processing (C16) and furniture manufacturing (C31) also play an important role in social cohesion and development of rural areas. The aim of this research was to investigate the current situation in SMEs in wood processing and furniture manufacturing regarding driving parameters of business and production management system in the time of a disturbed market situation caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Two different questionnaires in an e-mail survey were used to collect data for this research from companies and from experts in the field of management, production and marketing. Various statistical tests were used using seven driving parameters on data collected from 212 SMEs. Also, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used on the data collected from 20 experts. Results showed that companies in the time of pandemic crisis and during the time of major disturbances in supply chain pay the most attention to their production program and quality of their products, and then to marketing activities and situation on the market. According to the results presented in this research, the management model can help SMEs managers, micro and small enterprises in particular, to improve their decision-making process, make the necessary innovations easier and faster, and maintain the sustainable business and production management system of their companies.

Selected South-Eastern European countries (SEEC - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia) represent significant producers and exporters of wood flooring in Europe. In 2018, 9.4 % of Europe’s wood flooring production originated from this region. The region is a net exporter of wood flooring since it exports over 50 % of total production. The most important market for the export of wood flooring is the European Union with a share of over 60 % in total exports. Trends in this market are important for manufacturers and exporters from the region. Therefore, the analysis of the impact of the European Union imports on wood flooring production in the SEEC was conducted by application of econometric modelling. The parameters of the obtained model show that the increase of approximately 0.75 % could be expected in the production of wood flooring in selected South-Eastern European countries for each precentral increase in the European Union imports. In addition to these results, the paper presents the analysis of the competitiveness of wood flooring export from the region measured by the Competitiveness Growth Index (RCA1). The aim of this analysis was to quantify the level of their price and non-price competitiveness in the European Union market. Conducted analyses show that the Competitiveness Growth Index (RCA1) had positive values (higher than one) for most significant countries from the SEEC for most of the observed period., Odabrane zemlje jugoistočne Europe (SEEC – Albanija, Bosna i Hercegovina, Hrvatska, Crna Gora, Sjeverna Makedonija, Srbija i Slovenija) značajni su proizvođači i izvoznici drvenih podova u Europi. U 2018. godini 9,4 % europske ponude drvenih podova proizvedeno je upravo u toj regiji. Regija je neto izvoznik drvenih podova jer izvozi više od 50 % ukupne proizvodnje. Najvažnije je tržište za izvoz drvenih podova Europska unija, na koju otpada više od 60 % ukupnog izvoza. Trendovi na tržištu Europske unije vrlo su važni za proizvođače i izvoznike iz promatranih zemalja SEEC-a. Stoga je primjenom ekonometrijskog modeliranja analiziran utjecaj uvoza Europske unije na proizvodnju drvenih podova u SEEC regiji. Parametri dobivenog modela pokazuju da se sa svakim postotkom povećanja uvoza u Europsku uniju može očekivati rast proizvodnje drvenih podova u odabranim zemljama jugoistočne Europe za oko 0,75 %. Osim rezultata provedene analize, u radu su izneseni i rezultati analize konkurentnosti izvoza drvenih podova iz zemalja SEEC-a mjereni indeksom rasta konkurentnosti (RCA1). Cilj analize bio je kvantificiranje razine njihove cjenovne i necjenovne konkurentnosti na tržištu Europske unije. Provedene analize pokazuju da je indeks rasta konkurentnosti (RCA1) za najznačajnije zemlje SEEC-a u većini godina promatranog razdoblja imao pozitivne vrijednosti (veće od 1).

In a market environment where changes are constant, understanding customer buying behaviour is crucial for companies in order to operate both successfully and effectively. We analysed how different age groups and net monthly incomes per household influence consumer decisions in Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia in the case of furniture purchases, when the three main factors are material, price and service. Each factor was further divided into three levels. In the case of material, the respondents could choose between solid wood, chipboard and fibreboard or other materials. In the case of price, they could choose between a low, middle or high price range, and in the case of services, they could choose between pre-sales, sales and after-sales services. With conjoint analysis, we analysed the markets in Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia. The important differences in consumer buying behaviour in these three countries were discovered. The results of the research will serve as a useful basis for wood sector companies to design more successful marketing strategies, which will help them to achieve their goals in different target markets., Razumijevanje ponašanja kupaca u današnjemu, vrlo promjenjivom tržišnom okruženju jedan je od odlučujućih elemenata za postizanje uspješnoga i učinkovitoga poslovnog rezultata tvrtke. Osnovni je cilj ovog istraživanja bio utvrditi kako u Sloveniji, Srbiji i Hrvatskoj različita dob potrošača te mjesečni neto prihod njihova kućanstva utječu na donošenje odluke o kupnji namještaja, i to promatrajući tri osnovna faktora proizvoda – materijal od kojega je izrađen, cijenu i uslugu. Nadalje, za svaki faktor proizvoda bile su ponuđene tri mogućnosti odabira. Tako su za faktor materijal izrade proizvoda ispitanici mogli odabrati između masivnog drva i ploča iverica ili ploča vlaknatica te drugih materijala; glede faktora cijena proizvoda ispitanici su se mogli odlučiti za niski, srednji ili visoki cjenovni razred proizvoda, dok su za faktor usluga mogli odabrati između pretprodajne, prodajne i postprodajne usluge. Rezultati su pokazali kako pri kupnji namještaja među promatranim grupama ispitanika postoje razlike u donošenju odluke, i to u sve tri promatrane zemlje. Rezultati provedenog istraživanja moći će poslužiti tvrtkama drvnoindustrijskog sektora za osmišljavanje i izgradnju uspješnih marketinških strategija.

Energy from renewable sources is globally a very important issue. In order to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, many countries enact laws for enhancing the consumption of renewable energy sources. Sooner or later traditional non-renewable energy sources would have to be replaced with alternative energy sources that are already used in developed countries. According to the European Commission (2018), the EU is already a global leader in the sustainable use of natural resources within an efficient bio-economy. The wood pellet industry is becoming more important and the use of wood pellets is increasing as one of the most important contributors to the renewable energy goals of the EU. Wood pellet is an environmentally acceptable product and its production contributes to desirable rural development and sustainable approach to the management of timber resources. This paper focuses on the market of wood pellets used for heating, pinpointing differences in consumers point of view, and drafting the possibilities of future consumption enhancement. Results revealed a relatively low use of wood pellets in all the three surveyed markets. The highest share of consumers of wood pellets came from the areas with less than 5,000 inhabitants. Such households were mostly over 20 years old. The most important factors to decide to use such source of energy were space (required for the heating system) followed by price of wooden pellets., Energija iz obnovljivih izvora globalno je vrlo važno pitanje. Radi smanjenja onečišćenja i emisiji stakleničkih plinova, države promiču zakone o poticanju potrošnje obnovljivih izvora energije. Prije ili kasnije tradicionalne neobnovljive izvore energije bit će potrebno zamijeniti alternativnima, koji se već koriste u razvijenim zemljama. Prema Europskoj komisiji, Europska unija (EU) lider je u održivom iskorištavanju prirodnih resursa u sklopu učinkovite bioekonomije. U tom kontekstu industrija drvnih peleta, kao i njihova upotreba, iz dana u dan postaju sve nezaobilazniji. U dijelu koji se odnosi na obnovljive izvore energije drvni su peleti jedan od važnijih elemenata koji pridonose ciljevima EU-a. Riječ je o ekološki prihvatljivom proizvodu, a njegova proizvodnja znatno pridonosi ruralnom razvoju i održivom pristupu gospodarenju prirodnim resursima. Ovim se radom želi potaknuti promišljanje kako proizvođača, tako i potrošača drvnih peleta o izrazitom tržišnom potencijalu drvnog peleta za grijanje u hrvatskim, slovenskim i slovačkim kućanstvima. Nadalje, u radu su prikazane razlike u demografskim profilima ispitanika, njihovo znanje o drvenim peletima općenito te o mogućnostima budućeg poticanja potrošnje drvnih peleta u Hrvatskoj, Sloveniji i Slovačkoj. Rezultati su pokazali da je uporaba peleta na sva tri istraživana tržišta relativno niska. Najveći udio potrošnje peleta zabilježen je među potrošačima iz manjih područja (do 5000 stanovnika), a većina stambenih objekata ispitanika stariji su od 20 godina. Najvažniji razlozi zbog kojih se potrošači odlučuju na upotrebu peleta kao izvora grijanja jest prostor potreban za instalaciju opreme za grijanje na pelete te cijena peleta.

In the last decade, the Slovenian furniture industry market has experienced a number of changes, especially with the arrival of new retailers on the market. The situation is such that furniture manufacturers and retailers are still trying to determine the best ways to adjust to new customer demands. A well known thing is that customer satisfaction is the key component for the success of the business. In order for companies to be more successful, it is important to get better insight into customers’ needs and wants. In line with this, the purpose of this study, which compare the surveys conducted in 2010 and 2019, was to observe and analyse changes in the preferences of customers for furniture: materials, attributes, and styles when deciding on new furniture in Slovenia. The results of this research showed that customers’ preferences for furniture materials have changed in the last decade. Similarly, the factors that influence their purchase decisions when buying interior and exterior furniture have changed as well. It was found that wood was widely preferred as a furniture material among the respondents in both years studied., U posljednjem desetljeću slovensko je tržište namještaja doživjelo mnoge promjene, posebice ulaskom stranih trgovaca. Stoga proizvođači namještaja i trgovci i dalje pokušavaju odrediti najbolje načine prilagodbe novim zahtjevima kupaca. Općenito je poznato da je zadovoljstvo kupaca ključna komponenta za uspjeh poslovanja. Kako bi tvrtke bile uspješne, važno je imati što bolji uvid u potrebe i želje kupaca. U skladu s tim, cilj ovog istraživanja, koje uspoređuju ankete provedene 2010. i 2019., bila je usporedba i analiza promjena sklonosti kupaca pri odabiru i kupnji namještaja, i to u smislu materijala, svojstava i stila. Rezultati provedenog istraživanja pokazali su da su se sklonosti ispitanika u odabiru materijala namještaja u posljednjem desetljeću promijenile. Osim toga, promijenili su se i činitelji koji utječu na njihove odluke pri kupnji namještaja za vanjsku ili unutarnju upotrebu. Ispitivanja su pokazala da je drvo 2010. bio vrlo poželjan materijal za izradu namještaj, a to je i danas.

The significance of wood and paper products originating from certified sustainable sources has been increasing worldwide during the last two decades paralleling overall interest and concern for global sustainability issues. Forest certification is a voluntary verification tool that has been gaining importance not only as an independent verification tool in the wood processing industry but also as an influencer in private and public purchasing policies and as a component of emerging wood harvesting and trade legality schemes. There are two main types of certification, forest certification for forest management and chain-of-custody (CoC) certification which tracks certified wood through the manufacturing supply chain. This study focuses on the chain-of-custody component. A multinational survey of CoC certificate holders in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia was conducted to identify the general understanding of certification concepts as environmental, economic and social tools, to determine incentives for CoC certification implementation by companies, and to identify difficulties in existing certified wood product supply chains. Results indicate that respondents demonstrated a high level of understanding of the chain of custody certification concept. Respondents also link forest certification mainly to the issues of legality, tracing the origin source of supply and prevention from illegal logging. The main expected benefits are linked to the improvement of external company image followed by business performance factors such as penetrating new markets, increase of sales volume, expanded market share and the increase of profit margin. The key problems connected to certified supply chains relate to the overpricing of certified material inputs, while respondents reported none or minimum price premiums for their certified products over non-certified alternatives.

The paper shows research results for the consumption of all types of wood fuels in the households in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its entities in 2015. The research was conducted in the period from March 15th to August 26th, 2016 in 109 cities/municipalities in the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina. Complex methodological approach was used for conducting the research, which required field research on the sample of 8,602 households on the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as adequate statistical processing of the obtained data pursuant to the high statistical standards. Research results show that in 2015, 5.4 million m3 of firewood, 81,656 tones of wood pellets, and 6,780 tones of wood briquettes were consumed in the households in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Total expenses of households necessary for the supply of wood fuels in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2015 were 239.8 M?, with the largest share of firewood (226.8 M?), followed by wood pellets (11.6 M?), and wood briquettes (720.9 thousand ?). Average firewood consumption per household in Bosnia and Herzegovina is 6.43 m3. Compared to the surrounding countries it is on the level of Slovenia (6.5 m3 per household), less than in Serbia (7.3 m3 per household) and more than in Montenegro (5.49 m3 per household). Average consumption of energy from firewood expressed in kWh/m2 of the heated surface was 252.7 kWh, which is significantly higher than the average in the EU. One of the reasons for such high consumption of wood energy per 1 m2 of the heated surface is the fact that only 36.1% of the households using solid fuels have thermal insulation on their residential facilities.

In an increasingly competitive market, companies must look for new ways to gain competitive advantage. One of these ways is the provision of services. This article presents a multicriteria model for analysis and evaluation of services in a manufacturing company. We divided the services that the manufacturing company can offer to its customers into pre-sales, sales and after-sales services. In the second phase we developed a specific model for the furniture industry. The model was tested with information obtained in a survey by eight kitchen manufacturers from four European countries and was applied to determine the level of services offered. Results have shown that the model can be a useful tool when evaluating the competitiveness of individual manufacturing companies in terms of service provision. Based on the results, companies can develop their business strategies to meet the needs and expectations of potential customers from this perspective as well.

Corporate leaders often view innovation as a key contributor to superior profits, market sharing, and competitive positioning. However, confusion regarding the definition of innovation, how to create it, and how to implement it remains. In countries that are recent European Union members, little research has been done on innovation and how innovation is related to corporate management activities. In this study, the linkages were examined in the Croatian furniture industry. The first part of the study was to deconstruct innovation into three components: product innovation, production process innovation, and human resource innovation. The second part of the study evaluates the relationships between these innovation components and four company management activities/factors (research and development investments, company flexibility, export activity, and the Internet usage) were examined. Scale testing resulted in valid deconstruction measures of innovation. Hypothesized correlations between innovation components and company management factors were supported, although the results were not fully consistent with those of previous studies.

V raziskavi smo analizirali motivacijske in demotivacijske dejavnike med zaposlenimi v dveh lesno predelovalnih podjetjih. Raziskava je potekala v letih 2014 in 2015. Opravljena je bila z metodo anketiranja, s pomočjo vprašalnika, ki je vseboval šest vprašanj s ponujenimi možnimi odgovori. Vprašanja so bila zaprtega tipa, anketiranci pa so pomembnost vsebine posameznih odgovorov ocenjevali s štiristopenjsko lestvico. Anketiranih je bilo 180 zaposlenih v vsakem podjetju, rezultati pa so bili statistično obdelani s pomočjo X2 -testa in klasterske analize. S študijo smo ugotovili, da se najbolj pomembni motivacijski dejavniki med zaposlenimi v obravnavanih podjetjih bistveno razlikujejo. Zaposleni so najbolj zaskrbljeni glede socialnih potreb. Menijo tudi, da je v podjetju zelo pomembna psihološka klima. Motivacija zaposlenih je lahko povezana z večjo učinkovitostjo, višjo kakovostjo proizvodnje in poslovnimi rezultati, zato bi bilo treba takšne raziskave pogosteje opravljati. This research analyzed the motivating and demotivating factors amongst employees in two wood processing companies. The research was conducted over the years 2014 and 2015 with a survey using a questionnaire containing six questions with available statements offered. The questions were closed-ended, and respondents used the four-level scale of importance for each statement. A total of 180 employees in each company were surveyed, and results were statistically processed by using the X2- test and cluster analysis. This study established that the motivation factors most important to employees between researched companies are significantly different. Employees were most concerned about social needs. Also, employees consider psychological circumstances of work to be very important. Employees' overall motivation can be linked to higher efficiency and higher quality production and business results, and such research should be conducted more often.

There are not many wooden products that consumers would buy on pure impulse. Their decision regarding the purchase of a product normally undergoes a process of consideration – the more expensive the product, the more thorough the consideration. The consumer buying decision process consists of fi ve stages: need recognition, search for information, alternatives evaluation, purchase decision and post-purchase behaviour. A company must establish what is important for consumers in each stage of this process. On the basis of these fi ndings, the company must defi ne the measures to influence consumers in individual phases. In this study, the analytic hierarchy process was used to analyse the buying behaviour of potential furniture buyers. Slovenian and Croatian marketing experts were asked about the habits, requests and needs of furniture buyers. The results of the research can serve as useful information for companies producing wooden products in the formulation of successful marketing strategies.

Timber companies must continually strive to improve or at least maintain their market share. There are several methods to achieve this, and advertising is one of them. When timber companies make decisions about advertising, many of them choose radio advertising instead of television advertising, because it is less expensive. Companies should prepare advertisements that consumers will find attractive and appealing. To achieve this, they must take into account a number of criteria, as well as the fact that some of them are more important than the others. In this paper, the AHP analysis was used to determine the opinion of market professionals about the importance of criteria in radio advertising of timber products. Based on the results, a model for evaluating radio advertisements was developed and tested with random respondents, who evaluated a sample radio advertisement of timber companies.

Processing of wood and manufacture of wood and cork products, excluding furniture, manufacture of straw and plaiting goods (C16) and manufacture of furniture (C31) were the most competitive activities of the Republic of Croatia in the European market in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Those activities began losing their market share at the end of 1994, and no significant positive change in market competitiveness has been recorded since then. The question is how to achieve and maintain competitiveness, which is the condition of survival in an increasingly demanding environment. Preliminary and previous research on investments points to the assumption that the problem of competitiveness in the observed economic branch essentially boils down to a problem in the quality and efficiency of the investments of associated business entities. This paper tries to give answers to the following questions: What is the investment policy, is there an internal factor for lagging behind in competitiveness, what the other reasons are and how competitiveness can be achieved. By analyzing the investment in key factors of competitiveness in the period 2007 to 2010, consistently established by this paper, the existing data on investment of wood processing and furniture manufacturing entities will be identified, and an AHP investment model will be proposed that takes into account the simultaneous influence of all of the key factors of competitiveness and is the best indicator of the direction to be taken, with the final aim of achieving competitiveness.

The main goal of this research is to determine the most appropriate adhesive to fix angular joints with wooden ring for manufacturing window frames. The joint with wooden ring is the result of Slovenian experience and is protected by international patent. The destructive strength of angular joints adhered with different glues was tested by the tensile-testing machine. Polyvinyl acetate glue of the D3 group was found to be the most appropriate from the point of view of strength. The biggest advantage of using a joint with wooden ring lies in the possibility of manufacturing wooden frames from finished elements. In this way, the process of manufacturing a window ends after assembling its parts. It is, therefore, very important to choose the right glue that can completely fill the junction and cover the whole unprotected front part of the joint. For this purpose, polyurethane glues were used in the experiment, as they slightly expand during the hardening phase.