A Leaders Talk event took place at the ABB Robotics Czech Republic site in Mošnov, with Priority magazine as its media partner. On Friday, 20 March 2026, the two discussion panels were moderated by Vít Ruprich, publisher of the magazine. The programme also included a guided tour of the company’s operations. ABB’s Mošnov site serves as a robotics production and development centre and also hosts one of the company’s robotics training facilities in the Czech Republic.
The first panel brought together the perspectives of industrial companies on automation, digitalisation and the shortage of skilled workers. The discussion featured Denisa Materová of Promet Group, David Mitz of Baumit, František Vyhnálek of LUX, Miloš Cváček of ISMM and host Vítězslav Lukáš of ABB Robotics Czech Republic. A strong message ran through the discussion: Czech industry can no longer rely on the idea of cheap labour or on the continuous recruitment of workers from abroad. The speakers repeatedly stressed that automation today does not mean only higher output. It also means less dependence on physically demanding manual work, better quality and more precise production management.
Promet Group offered a very specific example. Denisa Materová described how well-targeted digitalisation shortens processes, reduces errors and gives companies more accurate data for managing operations. She also referred to a digital quality-control solution using 3D data that has significantly accelerated final inspection in production. Baumit, in turn, showed that a high degree of automation is no longer exceptional even in traditional industrial manufacturing. David Mitz recalled the experience of a plant handling very large production volumes with a remarkably lean team of just five people per shift. In his view, digitalisation affects not only production itself, but also logistics, input control and customer service.
The second panel opened another crucial topic: the shortage of people for an industry that is changing rapidly. The discussion with Jan Veřmiřovský, Deputy Governor of the Moravian-Silesian Region, Marek Pagáč, Vice-Rector of VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava, Jan Meca of MTA and Vítězslav Lukáš of ABB showed that the situation will not improve without closer cooperation between schools, companies and the region. One point stood out clearly: it is not enough to bring students to companies for excursions. Teachers also need direct exposure to practice. Considerable attention was given to the MTA project, which aims to bring modern technologies, teaching content and so-called eduboxes into schools and to support the development of robotics across the region.
The debate also named the obstacles openly. Companies face the cost of implementing automation, schools face slow-paced change, and the system as a whole still struggles with limited interest in technical fields among some parents. That is exactly why the event in Mošnov mattered. It focused not only on technology itself, but also on the people who will be working with it in the years ahead. And that is where the future strength of regional industry will be decided.
