The tradition of printing in the Rajakov family dates back to the 1990s, when Miodrag Rajakov launched jersey printing in Mosbach, Germany. After Dalibor and his wife Melanie took over the family business and merged it with the largest online retailer of team sports apparel and equipment, the company’s growth and expansion accelerated.
Today, they are partners to manufacturers such as Nike, adidas, Puma, Asics, New Balance, and Erima, branding their products with sponsor logos, team crests, and numbers, fully tailored to customer requirements. During a visit to this impressive facility, we spoke with Mr. Dalibor Rajakov, Managing Director of 11teamsports.
What led you to open a production facility in Croatia?
The business expansion we have experienced over the past decade created the need to expand our capacities. After several years, it became clear that Germany could no longer handle the full production volume. Opening a new facility was the logical step. Croatia, specifically Sveta Helena, proved to be an ideal location due to its position, skilled workforce, and flexibility. A few years ago, alongside our existing facility in Germany, we expanded the printing operations to Croatia, and since then we have been continuously growing.
How important is the Croatian facility within the group today?
The Croatian facility is now crucial. We have more than 220 employees and are continuously expanding our capacities. Our focus is on textile finishing and sports equipment personalization, from digital printing on footwear, production of heat transfers and thermo transfers, to the creation of 3D logos. We currently operate three screen-printing lines and plan to expand them to seven.
The Croatian facility has become a center of excellence within the group when it comes to personalization. Our team produces solutions for the largest clubs across Europe.
Which technologies do you use in the printing process, and who are your customers?
Our specialty is heat transfers. For their production, we use screen printing and several digital printing technologies. Heat transfers ensure fast production, high precision, and personalization in small batches or even individual jerseys.
If a club orders a few pieces with different names, we can deliver them just as quickly and with the same quality as a large batch. Around 30 DTF printers in our facility ensure fast delivery of batches of several thousand jerseys within just a few days. At our facility in the Helena Business Zone, we operate around 70 heat presses continuously, each with two application stations. Technologically, we are equipped for production ranging from a single piece to large-scale runs.
Some of the most well-known users of our products include FC Bayern Munich, the German national football team, the Turkish Football Federation, and, among local clubs, GNK Dinamo Zagreb and NK Vukovar, which has now entered the first division. These are just a few among more than 10,000 clubs in Europe and over 15,000 teams across various sports.
