INVESTORS IN MSK

Let's stay with the human factor for

a moment. How do you cooperate

with technical universities, both with

academics and students?

We have been cooperating with universities

for decades. For example, we cooperate

with VŠB-TUO in the European Operations

Centre and in the field of robotics. Ostrava

has been a pioneer in this field; the robotics

department has been there for thirty

years and we have a very well established

cooperation. We share know-how, supervise

theses, provide free training and software

to students. It is not something that benefits

us immediately, but we know that these

students are a driving force for both ABB and

the region. However, the number of students

is very low; we would need many more.

Fortunately, this region is not limiting for us in

this respect. For example, we have graduates

from technical universities in Slovakia,

and thanks to the aforementioned cost

compensation, we have colleagues from Spain

and Italy. We are attractive to these regions.

Of course, we do not focus only on

universities. Through the Electrotechnical

Association of the Czech Republic, we are

trying to attract high schools to our robotics

centre. We invite primary school pupils, even

kindergarten pupils, to come for field trips.

We are trying to build a relationship with

technology in them. When a young child

can touch a laboratory robot and see how its

control works, it breaks down the barrier and

fear of technology as something complex.

ABB Corporation works, among other

things, on the use of hydrogen as a widely

used fuel of the future. I mean hydrogen

produced using electricity from renewable

sources. The Moravian--Silesian Region

has come up with an ambitious vision

of Hydrogen Valley. That means that

energy and transport based on fossil

fuels today will be replaced by hydrogen

technologies and e-mobility in the future.

Is this the right direction?

In passenger transport, the cards are

already dealt. The car companies have

invested very large budgets in battery

platforms for which the infrastructure

is being built with considerable input

from the state, distributors and electricity

producers. If the car companies were to

maintain all three platforms, i.e. the existing

one, the battery platform and the switch to

hydrogen at the same time, the production

would be very expensive. Efficiency would

naturally fall and the price would rise all

the more.

But for high power, hydrogen is the natural

choice for, for example, propulsion for

ships, trains or heavy trucks. There is

no infrastructure here yet; we are still

in the prototype phase. Nevertheless,

we think that hydrogen will make its

way into this area. When we look at the

polluting nature of ocean liners, hydrogen

propulsion is the obvious choice as it has

the chance to contribute to a dramatic

reduction in pollution.

What are your visions for the future? Are

you planning further development of the

company?

The world has digitised in recent years. It

is even more global and competitive than

it used to be.

There are people who live in Ostrava and

work for a New Zealand software company.

So, in the software sector, we can expect

that there will definitely be more openness

to developers from different parts of the

world bringing their products to Europe to

compete with local companies.

This will be another gauntlet thrown down

for us, but I am convinced that we will

succeed.

It is essential not to get rid of industrial

production in the Czech Republic. Not to

try to transform ourselves into a country

that focuses only on development. 30% of

our GDP still comes from industry.

So the time is not right for any radical

changes. Moreover, we would lose a great

piece of know-how because it is always

much easier to make good software for

industry if you know how the factory works.

Writing software when one has never been

in the plant in one's life and doesn't know

how it works is much more difficult, and

the result will reflect that. We still maintain

that touch with all the industries here in

the region. But of course we need to think

innovatively and aggressively, in a positive

sense, in terms of expansion outside

the Czech Republic.

To lighten things up at the end, tell us

how you recharge your batteries. Do you

have a favourite place in the MoravianSilesian Region?

Sometimes I feel like we focus a lot on

recharging batteries but not on how to

properly discharge them. I try to think of

ways to make any job easier. How to get

the best result with reasonable effort

We need to find balance. It is natural that,

when you're trying to move something

forward and build something, you're going

to do more.

You can't achieve success with mediocre

effort. But everything should be sustainable

in the long term, as we are talking about

in ecology today. I consider a successful

person to be someone who has friends,

who doesn't have a shattered personal

life, who is reasonably dedicated to his or

her physical body. The achievement on his

business card isn’t everything.

I have a deep relationship with

the Moravian-Silesian Region. My wife and

I still have parents here and I have many

friends here. I am in Ostrava every week,

whether for work or other reasons.

My wife and I like to go to the mountains.

We used to go to Lysá hora when nobody

was there yet.

Twenty-five years ago, Smrk was also a matter

of a few enthusiasts only. I have to say that

we have a lot of beautiful places in the region

that we keep coming back to. I can name the

Wallachia region for all of them.

Mr Lukáš, thank you for the interview.

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