Vladka Kozakova is the Vice President of Human Resources at Trelleborg Wheel Systems, working with the global leadership team on business, organisation and human resources strategy design and implementation, and on the deployment of human resources management tools and methods.
Could you introduce your company and your business directions?
I am proud to say that I work at one of the key global suppliers of tires for specialty applications in the world. Trelleborg Wheel Systems is indeed an expert in tires for agricultural machines, material handling and construction vehicles. Everything we do is customer oriented; we design innovative products and services that are able to add value to their businesses in a sustainable way.
This company is part of the Trelleborg Group—a world leader in engineered polymer solutions that celebrated its 115 years in 2020. A long heritage that brought it to become a 3.46 billion euros multinational company, with operations in around 50 countries. We stay close to our customers with our local presence, providing the expertise and high-quality services expected of a global industry leader.
What is your business vision?
Our vision is to be the customer’s first choice. Our motto in Trelleborg is “People first”, we care about our employees and our customers’ real needs and we make sure to find innovative ways, leveraging cutting-edge technologies, to help them to stay one step ahead of future market challenges.
We care about improving both performance and sustainability. A littleknown fact is that tires can make a big difference. For examples: better traction reduces operating time, which decreases fuel consumption with positive benefits on both cost and environment; improved tire design reduces pressure on the soil, minimizing soil compaction and, hence, increasing yields. And there is so much more a tire can do.
Producing more with less is, indeed, at the core of everything we do. We recycle materials in innovative ways and constantly look for new eco- friendly ones; we also minimize water and energy use in our manufacturing sites, because every action really counts.
You work for a company with Swedish funding and Nordic lifestyle. How is it refl ected in your business activities in the Czech Republic?
Our global headquarters are in a city called Trelleborg, after which our company is named, and what can be more Swedish than that? With every new acquisition, we have built a solid multicultural company based on our Swedish foundations.
Our Italian roots in Trelleborg Wheel Systems come from the Pirelli agricultural tires acquisition in 1999, that we later enriched with a strong Czech influence when, in 2016, we acquired CGS Holding a.s. and the Czech nationality became the biggest one.
We are proud members of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, we are the biggest Swedish employer in the Czech Republic, we collaborate closely with the Swedish Embassy and with other Swedish companies on promoting our culture and company values.
As I was saying, we are a “People First” organization: we value our employees, customers, and suppliers, and we are a responsible part of the community, fully respecting and supporting the local cultures. Our core values are Innovation, Customer Focus, Responsibility and Performance.
You also do Research in the Czech Republic. How do you assess the potential of Czech workforce in this field?
We have great plans for our research and development in the Czech Republic. Last year we started a collaboration with Czech Invest and the Ministry of Industry on a new project to strengthen our R&D capabilities here, with the support of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce.
We want to build a Global Technology and Innovation center in Zlin, a region known for its polymer engineering expertise, where you can find some of the most knowledgeable people and skilled talents of our industry. We believe this will be a terrifi c contribution to our future success.
Thank you for the interview.
