Family Silver of Czech Motoring from Kopřivnice (2. strana)

REGION–KOPŘIVNICE Family Silver of Czech Motoring from Kopřivnice Building a good name for a brand is one of the pillars of business success. The Tatra Trucks a.s. car manufacturing company can be considered a Czech heritage. We spoke to marketing manager Ing. Kamil Košťal, MBA about the company‘s vision for the future and their activities in the Moravian-Silesian Region. The Kopřivnice based truck manufacturer, Tatra, belongs to the oldest car producers in the world, having been created in 1850. How is the company influencing the automotive industry in the Czech Republic and also abroad? Throughout its existence on the market, Tatra has produced a variety of products, from carriages and buggies through locomotives and railway wagons to cars and trucks. Even though Tatra has a famous tradition in the production of cars, the company’s current and future efforts are focused on commercial vehicles that incorporate the usage of the Tatra central load-carrying tube with independently suspended swinging half-axles. These vehicles enable efficient operation even in the most difficult terrains, mainly at construction sites, in mines and in forests. They are therefore an appropriate choice for fire engines, ambulances and, of course, the Army. You mentioned that one of the company’s conceptions is to strengthen its position as a one-of-a-kind manufacturer of commercial vehicles. How is fulfilling this vision coming along? Nowadays, Tatra is solely focused on custom production. Each vehicle is basically an original; only a handful of projects concern vehicle numbers that exceed a number of several dozen. We focus on clients that operate their vehicles in mixed and difficult terrains, where Tatra’s chassis conception has no competition and cannot be easily replaced. We are thereby managing to successfully fulfill our vision. The Tatra Trucks company was successfully restructured in 2013. Can you describe the changes that occurred? Two new owners entered Tatra, two Czech businessmen, which hold Tatra dearly in their hearts and consider it a prestigious project, and their actions match this sentiment. In cooperation with company management, they defined a realistic and successful business strategy that focuses on providing specialized vehicles for special customers, for which Tatra is very desirable as a unique supplier. They invest in technological development, company modernization, and even the company’s historical legacy. Thanks to their efforts, projects like the revitalization of the national technological monument, the Slovenská Strela motor railway engine, or construction of a new Tatra museum, are made a reality. Building up a positive image of Tatra has also helped in gaining support of, for example, The Moravian-Silesian Region and the Czech government for the projects. by our employees, not only financially, but also through other means. The opening of the new truck museum is being facilitated in collaboration with the Moravian-Silesian Region and the city of Kopřivnice. You export Tatra vehicles to more than 100 countries globally. That is a really big portfolio. What are some places with high demand for the vehicles of this famous brand? The domestic market of the Czech and Slovak Republics remains a key customer. Excluding those, Tatra Trucks has been successful in the markets of Central and Western Europe, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and South America. Countries without a high quality infrastructure logically hold more potential for all-wheel-drive vehicles with multiple axles. This includes third-world countries, but also remote places with low population density. The Tatra brand represents the Czech automotive tradition. How do you personally perceive it? Tatra was always special, it always subverted established trends, whether in technical solutions or its individual approach to customers. Currently, it is probably the only custom truck manufacturer that has such a diverse customer base without being part of a multinational group--civilian vehicles, Army and fire fighting specials. I therefore hope that Tatra is able to maintain this singular position in the future, and that it is continually able to show this facet to customers. Tatra is a significant employer in the Kopřivnice region. Do you also support some organizations or projects that help regional development? Yes, we try to support local cultural and sporting activities, including ones held An inseparable part of company development is innovation: what are your commercial and financial advancements in this field? One recent trend is the effort to finalize production of products in regions where they are later sold, used, and serviced. Currently, we are working in various parts of the world on projects concerning the construction of assembly and service plants that would assemble our vehicles meant for local operation. Thank you for the interview. Text: Kamil Košťál Foto: archiv TATRA TRUCKS, a. s. www.tatra.cz POSITIV 4/2020 ǀ 63