Darko Pervan, the inventor who transformed the global flooring industry with his revolutionary click-together system, was among eight recipients of Sweden's Enterprise Medal at the Royal Patriotic Society's annual ceremony on May 21 at the House of Knights.

Prince Daniel presented the medal to Pervan, founder of Välinge Innovation and the Bjelin Group, recognizing him "for transforming the flooring industry with a clever invention and building a world-leading company."

The Enterprise Medal, established by the Royal Patriotic Society in 1982, honors exceptional individual contributions to Swedish business and is awarded based on leadership achievements with ownership involvement. Recipients are selected by the Society's administrative committee following nominations from members and previous medal winners.

Pervan's breakthrough came in 1994 when he founded Välinge Innovation to develop what would become the world's first clickable flooring system. The mechanism allows floors to be installed without glue or nails, eliminating the need for an estimated 100 million adhesive bottles annually worldwide.

"What I am most proud of is that I have developed the mechanical locking system for laminate, parquet and vinyl flooring," Pervan said. The inventor emphasized the analytical approach required for groundbreaking innovation: "Everything you develop is new. There's no demand, no market. So if you only go by feelings, you'd think it won't work because no one uses it. But if the calculations show that the product is very good, cost-effective, environmentally friendly - why wouldn't it work?"

Before founding his company, Pervan worked in various industrial firms, including involvement in developing the world's first laminate flooring. His entrepreneurial philosophy centers on problem identification: "To be a successful entrepreneur, you have to start with the most important thing: identifying a genuine problem."

Today, Välinge Innovation has grown into a technology powerhouse holding over 3,500 patents with 300 licensees worldwide. The family recently reorganized operations under the Bjelin Group, consolidating flooring products while developing more environmentally friendly alternatives.

The company operates seven factories across Sweden and Croatia, with sales offices in approximately ten countries. Beyond its core flooring business, Bjelin Group aims to become a world-leading producer of eco-friendly wood flooring while expanding into property development, hotels, restaurants, offices and retail spaces.

Other Enterprise Medal recipients this year included Jan-Olof Brüer and Torbjörn Kronander of Sectra, Karin Lundh of Källemo, Claes Magnusson of Hestra, and the Wallenberg family members Jacob, Marcus, and Peter Wallenberg Jr., representing the Wallenberg Foundations. Additionally, Professor Emerita Katarina Olsson of Lund University received the Medal for Significant Contributions for her work in the Swedish foundation sector.