ROZHOVOR

A Company that Succeeded

on the Global Market

and Became a Czech Singularity

Jakub Weimann, the CEO of BONATRANS GROUP a.s., has been operating in the Moravian

-Silesian Region his whole life. He successfully graduated from the Ostrava Technical University

VSB and, a few years later, obtained his MBA at VUT in Brno. He began working at the company

as a sales manager, and over the course of twenty years, he worked himself up to the position

of CEO. Today, Jakub Weimann is involved in every major decision in the company, with the goal

of maintaining their position as European leader.

Mr. Weimann, you have been part of

BONATRANS for almost twenty years.

What about it inspired you to spend most

of your professional career here?

I have always had a connection to the

railway industry. My father loved trains,

and I inherited this love from him.

Furthermore, BONATRANS is a Czech

company with global influence, which is

not very common, and that makes it stand

out.

I also like the fact that we have our own

products, and we can cover their entire

lifespan, from manufacturing to after-sales

service.

With the passage of time I can also see that

multiple generations of the same family are

all working at the company, which creates

a sort of tradition, and work that is literally

passed down from father to son.

BONATRANS is an influential supplier of

railway wheelsets. What makes it unique?

The most unique aspect is the fact that the

people here in Bohumín both construct

14 ǀ POSITIV 3/2020

and manufacture the wheelsets (and

parts thereof, including axles, wheels and

centers) and they have a lot of experience

with it. It is specifically because of this

that we are able to effectively react to

market requirements and focus on our

own development. This involves efforts

in improving the products’ lifecycle,

increasing their lifespan under increased

costs stemming from environmental

requirements, ride comfort, etc.

The solution for this is the materials

used, technologies and the logistics of

production, and many others aspects.

Our customers as well as suppliers (of

operational and capital expenditures)

provide significant outside contributions

to our unique products.

What exactly can we imagine under the

materials you mentioned?

For example, we are working with steel

suppliers in the development of new

materials that better adhere to different

climates and geographic conditions.

The next question is related to geography.

Since BONATRANS is a global company,

where can we experience a ride in a train

that runs on your wheelsets? Are there

some nontraditional places you think

are worth a mention?

You can get a ride practically anywhere,

as we supply our products to eighty

countries, five continents and we hold

a 40% share in the European market.

You can ride BONATRANS wheelsets in

the subways of Paris, Prague and New

York, and if you travel to the Tibetan high

plateau, which a railway in China passes

through, you also have the chance to ride

in our wheelsets.

As far as distance is concerned, the

furthest we have ever exported our

product was New Zealand. You are most

likely, however, to catch a ride in Germany,

Austria, France or the UK, as these

countries are our biggest customers. If

we are talking about countries outside of

Europe, thought, it would then be North

America, India and China.