INVESTORS IN MSK

roby spalovacích motorů, což je naše

aktuální zaměření. Rychle jsme reagovali a začali vyvíjet produkty, které

nejsou vázány na spalovací motory, ale

naopak na ty hybridní, popřípadě na

bateriové, elektrické vozy. Nyní máme

celou škálu ventilů pro chladicí systémy, které jsou stěžejní pro udržení výkonu a životnosti elektrických baterií…

Stant si své výrobky patentuje. Nově

připravujeme sérii patentů pro komponenty do elektrických bateriových

systémů. Věřím, že je naše budoucnost

růžová, že nás konec spalovacích motorů neohrozí.

Paní ředitelko, děkujeme Vám za rozhovor.

Leading Company in the World

of Automotive Engineering to Open Their

First Validation Laboratory in Czechia

She spent a total of eleven years at the company thus far. She started at the manufacturing plant in

Karvíná, but was transferred to a sister company in Chicago as a Material Manager three years later.

The following year, she moved on to work at the company’s headquarters in Indiana as a Senior

Manager for Production Control and Material Systems. After spending two years in the USA, she

returned back to the Moravian-Silesian Region, where she negotiated a transfer from Karviná

to Hrabová, where CTP would construct a brand new facility. Until Spring of last year, she was

primarily in charge of production in the Czech Republic, and now she also has the responsibility of

directing the global supply chain, production plans and logistics. This well-accomplished manager is

none other than Ing. Karin Hájková, director of Stant Manufacturing s.r.o.

Mrs Hájková, first of all, what drove you

to pursue your career path?

My first impulse towards building a career

in industry came from my education.

I studied at a school that combined

chemistry and technology, thus I always

thought I would end up as the director of

a chemical plant, and at the time, that was

my goal. I also added economics to my

field of study, where I focused on logistics,

to which I ended up devoting my entire

professional life. When I started my job as

Material Manager, my job mainly consisted

of managing warehouses, material orders,

production planning and transport.

Thanks to your experience in the USA,

you have a more expansive perspective.

What can the Czech Republic learn from

the global automotive field?

The automotive industry is the same

everywhere

you

look,

regardless

of whether it is in the USA or here.

The industry’s environment is very specific,

extremely hectic, and it has very strict rules.

One of the strictest areas within the field is

passenger safety, where there are strict

standards that every supplier has to meet.

Essentially, there is little wiggle room to

allow for differences in execution. What

I do see a difference in, however, is the

people’s attitude. If I were to, for example,

mention that I have a eight month old child,

when applying to a manager position at

a Czech company, I would easily be labeled

as a mother, who would have to always take

time off to take care of a sick child, would

not be as dedicated to her job as she should,

and would not be able to meet deadlines.

Americans, however, are not bothered by

this at all. For them it is irrelevant whether

or not you have children, whether you are

a man or a woman. If you have the desire

to do a job, come and do it, that is what is

important. They give people room to grow

and whenever they notice someone with

potential they motivate them.

What advantages do you hold over your

competition?

I gave myself the goal of expanding our

operation within the Czech Republic

beyond the scope of a simple assembly

line where products are assembled with

little added value. I wanted our branch

to become a technological hub, a second

headquarters of sorts. I managed to

convince the American headquarters

that we have some real talent here. This

allowed us to start opening up divisions at

our Czech branch, which were historically

solely located in the US. Our innovation,

design development and purchasing

departments are very well represented, to

the point that our purchasing department

handles the purchases of other branches

as well. We now also handle the entirety

of customer service, servicing North

America as well as Europe. Every project

that we undertook resulted in big leaps

for the company. Presently, we are also

working on opening a large validation

laboratory, which will house machines

capable of testing carbon canisters,

which is our main product, making up

roughly 40% of our sales. I had no idea

that we were the only ones offering these

products in the Czech Republic, in which

case, if we end up with free stock, we can

offer it on the local market.

What are your visions for the future?

With the Euro 7 standard further lowering

the allowed emission threshold, it is only

a matter of time until the production

of combustion engines will be banned

entirely. Seeing as combustion engines are

currently our main focus, we immediately

started developing products that are

not tied to that technology. Instead, we

are shifting towards hybrid engines and

electric vehicles. We now offer a wide

variety of cooling system valves which

are critical to maintain power output

and extend the lifespan of batteries. At

Stant, we always patent our products,

and as of right now, we are preparing

a series of patents for components in

battery systems. I believe that the future

is looking good for us and that the end of

combustion engines will not endanger us.

Mrs Hájková, thank you for the interview.

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