INTERVIEW
induction couplings, electronic parts for
Škoda and Tatra vehicles, static frequency
converters, and a very popular “toy” in
the 1980s, the electrotechnical building
kit “MEZ elektronik”.
The brand name MEZ represented
the plant till 1994, then the company
was privatized and became part of the
technological concern Siemens.
In 2019 it is our 25th anniversary of
working with the Siemens brand, who
has invested a several billion Czech
Crowns in the development and
production of electric motors in the
Beskids. The plant in Frenštát is currently
the greatest European producer of
low-voltage
asynchronous
electric
motors of axial height 225–355 mm.
Some may say that with over 70 years
of history, the plant is in the “retirement
age”. Quite the contrary: the company
is a world leader in automation and
digitization, with innovations in both
products and production processes.
The company is a world
“ leader in automation
and digitization, with
innovations
in both products
and production processes.
”
You come from this region and graduated
from VSB – Technical University of
Ostrava. Siemens is a company with
a great history. What innovative visions
do you have for the plant management?
Yes, I come from this region and
I have actually daily commuted to
Frenštát since I was fourteen. First to
the Secondary School of Electrical
Engineering, where my focus was
electrical machinery. After a year of
military service, I started commuting to
Siemens company, my first employer.
I started at a blue-collar position, as
a workman in the motor testing lab,
and step by step I have actually gone
through all the plant. I have been the
CEO since 2016 when my team and
I designed a new vision and strategy to
develop the plant, which is now coming
true. In a very short time we introduced
four new products on the market which
have increased production by 60 %.
We have increased the portfolio of
electric motors with motors of bigger
axial height, and we strive to further
automate and digitize our production
as well as our products. The first digital
motor by Siemens distributed worldwide
was developed and made in Frenštát.
You operate the Global IT Delivery
Centre. What is its aim, and why did you
locate the centre to Ostrava?
It is not only the IT Delivery Centre but also
the Research and Development Centre
which serves development in electrical
rotating machinery (electric motors and
electric generators) and solutions for
Industry 4.0. By the way, opening the
Research and Development Centre earned
us a prestigious international award,
Emerging Europe Awards 2018. Now, our
facilities in Ostrava employ about 200 IT
specialists, electrical and machinery design
engineers, experts on special simulations
and
analyses,
including
specialists
developing applications for Industry 4.0.
This year we intend to contract more
employees in our team in Ostrava.
And why Ostrava? Not only because
of our close cooperation with VSB –
Technical University of Ostrava, but also
because this large city is geographically
close to Frenštát and the other Siemens
production plant in Mohelnice.
Siemens ranks among leaders in
the fields of smart cities and digital
production plants. That is the vision for
the future which the Moravian-Silesian
Region is actively engaged in bringing
about. How do you participate in these
projects?
Digitization will soon affect each
enterprise, and it is obvious that
companies prepared for this future
will prosper in the harshly competitive
atmosphere.
We
consider
the
digitization of production (which we
have been working on for a few years
already) one of the crucial elements in
our strategy. We are one of the leaders
in this field, and our plant is annually
visited by hundreds of customers who
want to see the digitization of industry in
action. Within the region, we collaborate
with VSB – Technical University of
Ostrava as one of the main partners in
the Platform for Research in Industry
4.0 and Robotization project in the
agglomeration of Ostrava.
You employ significant numbers of
people not only from our region. How
do you attract and keep young new
employees? How does the company
contribute to social responsibility in the
region?
I believe that the success of each enterprise
is based on its positive corporate culture.
It cannot be measured and expressed in
numbers, yet it is considerably reflected
in a job satisfaction of the staff and
their performance. With increasing
innovations and growing volume of
production, we needed more employees.
I am not the kind of manager who would
sacrifice what the previous generations
achieved for an instant profit. In the past
two years we have employed over 400
new employees not only from our region.
We do not employ any staff through job
agencies and we do not import people
from abroad. I personally seek long-term
effects, satisfied employees who bring
innovation and good performance based
on their positive attitude towards the
company and our products. That is the
only way to keep the present staff and
win new employees.
The same applies to social responsibility:
we want to be a good neighbour in our
area, therefore we support charities and
education as well as the environment
and culture. We donate hundreds of
thousands of Czech crowns on projects
to non-profit organizations, and closely
cooperate with secondary schools and
universities. We focus on the culture
in Frenštát as our priority. We support
events held by the town, including the
renowned music festival Horečky Fest.
I personally seek long-term
“effects, satisfied employees
who bring innovation and good
performance based on their
positive attitude towards
the company
and our products.
”
Will you let our readers know what your
favourite place is and share culinary tips
of the region?
I have many favourite places in the region.
I love mountains in general and the
Beskids in particular. I cannot pinpoint
one location only. Štramberská Trúba is
beautiful; I love Pustevny; and my most
beloved mountain is Velký Javorník. Even
though I enjoy good meals, gastronomy
is not my priority in the region. I feel
happy to feed my eyes with the views
of mountains from the valleys in our
picturesque region. I may have a simple
snack of a hot dog with a beer from
a local brewery.
Thank you very much for the interview.
Editorial of Magazine.
POSITIV 2/2019 ǀ 13