Ing. et Ing. Adam Liška, MBA is a regional patriot and global manager. He has a technical background — which he is continuously expanding — in the area of management skills. This led him to the Czech Management Association, where he was awarded Young Management Talent of the Year 2018. He is currently the Vice President of the Association and the CEO and Chairman of the Board of WITKOWITZ ENVI a.s.
You are a traditional Czech company with a final product and a global presence. But one cannot live by tradition alone. What is the key to success for your company at present and in the future?
Our company started its engineering and manufacturing activities as early as 1966 when the enamelling skills of our experts were transferred to steel tanks for bulk and liquid materials. Many of the tanks were dedicated to the agricultural sector. Still, the portfolio was extended over time to the fields of wastewater treatment plants and biogas plants. This portfolio was complemented by technologies and the growth of a new segment — technological units. Here we come to the point of success at present and in the future. Our company is unique in that it does not offer the customer only a certain part of the solution, as is common here or in the world, but offers a complete service. We can design, engineer and construct complex technologies, manufacture them, deliver them anywhere in the world, and assemble our work for the customer and make it fully operational. Our experienced team of experts in these environmental fi elds — as well as our links with academia, scientifi c research institutes and strategic synergies — are pushing us further in these technologies, for example, into the areas of clean, potable water or biomethane and new materials.
Green Deal is a word often used in documents and speeches in Brussels. But what does it mean in terms of business opportunities for your company?
By the very nature of our company name, the environment is always our priority. Whether this is a Green Deal initiative or future initiatives that might come along with a different spirit and delivery, it is not that important. For our company, it is crucial to always think about offering innovative technologies in comprehensive green building solutions.
To help customers find an alternative solution, we offer efficient use of biogas and biomethane from biodegradable waste — from the biogas plant, through the cogeneration stage or biomethane production, including connection to the distribution system or one of our biomethane filling stations for both private and public transport. We can handle it all, from design through to production, installation and commissioning.
A specific point of this alternative source is the treatment of gastro waste, for which we also offer the above-mentioned comprehensive solution.
We perceive that biogas and biomethane production has — and will have — their due representation in the Green Deal and energy transformations, as it is a stable energy source, the share of which will be minor but still extremely important.
In times of climate change, water becomes liquid gold. How do you store and purify it, and what makes you unique?
We see efficient water management as an absolute priority in both the short and long term. Without water, there is no life, which is why our company’s mission is to protect the environment and return life to where it has always been.
This is reflected in our solutions in the large-volume drinking water tanks that we manufacture and supply worldwide and in the aforementioned wastewater treatment plants that operate on the principle of biological treatment.
Several decades of experience have led us not only to the fact that our treatment plants are a modular solution, with minimum demand on the built-up area and maximum use of automation elements, but also to the fact that we can implement these projects relatively quickly. However, we have also expanded our services to include technical support for existing treatment plants regarding modernisation proposals or service and maintenance. However, we also feel an obligation to pursue development in this area, which is why we are working on upgrading our wastewater treatment plants and technologies related to drinking water or efficient sludge treatment.
Energy transformation of the Moravian-Silesian Region?
Sustainability and innovation also represent a society-wide need to adapt to environmental changes.
As an industrial engineering company from the Moravian-Silesian Region, we reflect the changes that will affect us all in the coming years, not only in companies but also in everyday life. This is a demanding challenge where cooperation and synergy will play a key role.
The subject of the cooperation is the exchange of knowledge on the efficient management of biogas and biomethane. The joint activities build on the outputs and recommendations of the Impact Study on the Phasing Out of Coal Combustion in the Moravian-Silesian Region. These should lead to the development of modern energy infrastructure and enable the transition to lowemission technologies, with a focus on wastewater treatment plants for municipal and industrial sectors, and last but not least, on the involvement of community energy or energy communities in the modern energy mix of the Moravian-Silesian Region. This cooperation promises an overall improvement of the environment in the future.
Thank you for the interview.
