A Company that Succeeded on the Global Market and Became a Czech Singularity
POSITIV 3/2020 15
You mentioned North America in your list.
Canada is part of North America, and its
climate is harsher than here; how are you,
therefore, prepared to deal with countries
where snow and ice play a larger role
than in the CZ?
We deal with these sorts of requirements
through the implementation of materials
specifically developed for operation in
low temperatures. This is the case not only
for Canada, but also Scandinavia. On the
other side of the temperature spectrum,
there are specific requirements even for
countries such as the Arabian peninsula
and other desert regions.
BONATRANS is, even in the field of
research and development, among the
top innovators. Could you outline what
is the basis of this technological lead?
Our BONAXLE
®
railway axles are the
epitome of our innovation, focused on
improving our products’ lifecycle, as it
essentially has an unlimited lifespan.
To improve the lifespan of our wheels,
we use the potential of improved steel
grades as well as our cutting-edge heat
treatment. The combined efforts of
our development team and our steel
suppliers resulted in a product that is
called BONASTAR
®
.
Recently, there has been a lot of
discourse, mainly in Europe, regarding
the noise made from the contact of the
rails with the wheels. Since the second
half of the 90s, we have developed
and produced a number of solutions to
reduce the rolling/squealing noise, which
we call BONASILENCE
®
.
Your role in the Moravian-Silesian
Region is significant also due to the
fact that you are a major employer. We
wonder if you have your own education
system.
We have an elaborate system for internal
education, specialized in not only
employee adaptation to their position,
but also in the maintenance of knowledge
and further development. Experienced
senior employees lead an “internal
academy,” in which employees are trained
in company products and technologies,
and they have the opportunity to go over
all the manufacturing procedures over
a period of a couple weeks. We also look
for talented individuals, for which we
develop individual educational plans that
help develop their passion and talents.
This year we won second place in the Best
Employer of the Moravian-Silesian Region
2020 competition, in the category of
employers with up to 5,000 employees.
Towards the beginning of the interview,
you mentioned that multiple generations
of the same family work at your company.
Does the company therefore also work
with highschools and universities?
We are establishing cooperation with not
only local schools, but also ones from
nearby districts. We organize excursions to
manufacturing plants or even professional
experience for their students. We want
the graduates to be ready for our specific
manufacturing process.
University students have the possibilities
of gaining practical experience, or even
completing their graduate work with us.
We also cooperate with schools in the
field of research. For example, we are
working with the Center of Advanced
Technologies, which is part of VSB-TUO,
on the reduction of noise pollution.
We are also connected beyond the Czech
Republic, specifically, with Germany,
Austria and Slovakia.
We also cooperate with schools on the
expansion of our employees’ qualification,
through long distance studies in fields
which we view as key to ensure we fill our
job positions.
This year, BONATRANS has reached an
important milestone, fifty-five years since
its founding. What are your plans for the
future?
BONATRANS is the European leader in
its field, and we would like to maintain
this position. There are still markets that
interest us and have space for us to grow
(namely Italy, Scandinavia, China, North
America and India). All of our employees,
knowledge and machinery equipment
is, however, required for this type of
expansion.
We would like to deepen the communication
between our customers, react to their
ideas and help transform them into future
products. We would also like to still be
involved in the development of advanced
technologies, machines, and devices that
focus on automation, which is a field
where we are lacking a little.
With the help of all of these steps, we
would like to create an environment that
can lead to prosperity and at least another
fifty-five successful years.
At our magazine, we know that you
support a number of social and cultural
events. Could you familiarise us with
some of them, and tell us about the
Bonagrant project?
Our company is closely connected with
the region. 90% of our employees are from
Bohumín, Karviná and areas around those
two locations. It is for this reason that it
makes sense for us to support activities in
these two areas, as this also helps improve
the conditions of our employees and their
families.
Bonagrant is a form of financial reward
for permanent staff members, who can
ask for it for the purpose of organizing
a universally beneficial local event.
The money therefore reaches local
kindergartens, various community centers
or, for example, sports clubs. Projects
aimed at improving the environment are
especially important to us.
In addition, outside of Bonagrant, we
financially support various organizations.
We support the local hospital and
other medical facilities, schools, sports
clubs, or even volunteer firefighters. We
are also actively involved in bettering
the environment, for example, we
support the planting of trees through
the Arnika organization, and we join in
a cleaning event organized by the “Čisté
Beskydy” association, called “Thank the
mountains.”
In your previous response, you mentioned
that you support events connected with
improving the environment. What stance
does the company take in environmental
politics?
We have the ISO 14001:2015 (environmental
quality control) certificate, and therefore
our environmental politics are already
properly fleshed out. Our product
is very ecological on its own, as it is
primarily constructed of steel (a fully
recyclable material) and furthermore, it
is a component of railway vehicles, which
represent the most eco-friendly type of
personal and cargo transportation. We are
also focused on ecological prevention, an
example of this can be the replacement of
diesel motor trucks by ones powered by
CNG.
Furthermore, on a macroscopic scale, our
products are primarily composed of steel,
which is a fully recyclable material, and
they become part of rail-bound vehicles,
that are the most ecological form of
passenger and freight transportation.
As a final question, we would like to ask
for a personal travel recommendation for
foreigners.
Personally, I would recommend traveling
towards Štramberk, as it is a beautiful
village with a well-developed tourist scene.
The Dlouhé Stráně pumped storage
hydropower plant is worth a visit.
Thank you for the interview.