The Unyielding Engine of Leadership. From the Workshop to the Top
20 ǀ POSITIV MAN
What challenges did the transition from Director
of the Frenštát plant to CEO of the entire Czech
branch of Innomotics bring?
Well, you know, I actually never left my role
as Director of the Frenštát plant. I took on the CEO
position of Innomotics Czech Republic in May 2024,
in addition to my role as plant director. It’s probably
been the biggest challenge of my professional life
– after all, in terms of employee numbers, we are
the largest country organisation within Innomotics.
We have around 4,000 employees across six sites,
including three major production plants in Mohelnice,
Drásov and Frenštát, a development centre in Ostrava,
and sales offices in both Prague and Brno, along with
a range of support departments serving not only
the Czech Republic. The biggest challenge for me was
stepping back from the plant‘s daily operations, which
I’ve handed over to a colleague, so I can now focus
more on the strategic development of Innomotics in the
Czech Republic as part of the wider group. Another
major challenge was the sale of the company and the
complete separation of all systems and processes
from Siemens. I believe we managed that very well
and within record time, without disrupting deliveries
to our customers in any way. And of course, another
challenge is the rebranding of the company – the new
name is entirely unfamiliar to the market. Even though
we’ve been operating in the Czech market for over
120 years, many new or potential customers don’t
know who we are. That’s definitely something I want
to change and I aim to raise the profile of the Innomotics
brand in the field of motors and generators much more
visibly within the industrial market.
Which moments do you consider key to your
personal growth, and what advice would you give
to young people just starting out?
One of the key moments was my decision not to stay
in a single position within the company. After eleven
months working in testing, I found the job monotonous
and became bored. That’s when I spoke up and said
I wanted to do more. I began learning languages,
and a few months later I was on my first internship
in Germany. Another important milestone was
studying at VŠB–Technical University of Ostrava, which
helped me move forward in my career. I don’t believe
a university degree is the most important thing, but at
that time, it gave me a better understanding of how
industrial companies operate. I actually had my career
and education in reverse – work experience first, then
school – but I believe it’s precisely because of that path
that I’ve come as far as I have.
And my advice for young people? Be proactive, try out
a variety of roles, but before you start managing others,
make sure you’ve experienced the company from
the ground up. Even if you start off in an office, take time
to rotate through different departments to understand
how everything works – ideally in overalls.
When you think about the future of Innomotics
today – where would you like to steer the company?
And what do you see as key, not just in terms
of technology, but also in relation to the people who
make up the company?
In terms of product innovation, we’re moving towards
highly efficient electric motors in the IE5 efficiency
class, and at this year’s Hannover Messe we even
introduced motors in the IE6 class. The main goal is to
reduce energy consumption during motor operation.
We’re also focusing on market segments where
we haven’t previously offered our motors.
In manufacturing, a high level of automation
and robotics is crucial for us, so that we can shift our
production employees away from repetitive tasks
toward more skilled activities – not only in programming
machines and robots. And last but not least, there’s
digitalisation, which is key for us not only because
it allows greater process transparency and faster
decision-making, but also because it helps us identify
areas where unproductive activities can be eliminated,
thereby boosting our competitiveness. This also
includes the introduction of artificial intelligence into
both production and support processes.
Despite the change in ownership, we want to maintain
our position as a leader in the technology of special
electric motor production.
Automation is now standard in manufacturing
companies. But I’m curious – are you already
working with more advanced tools?
We’ve been working with digital twins for several years
now. In the area of development, we collaborated with
VŠB–Technical University of Ostrava for two years
on creating a digital twin of motors, aiming to simulate
Every situaon – even the negave
ones – helps you grow.
I want to raise the prole of the
Innomocs brand in the eld of motors
and generators much more visibly.