It is no longer uncommon to see a woman leading a Czech engineering company today. Discover the story of female leadership in an interview with Alena Lubasová, the Executive Director and CEO of Strojírna Oslavany, spol. s r. o., who has a clear vision for her goals.
You lead a Czech engineering company that is not only managed by a woman but also recognised as one of the best-run firms. Could you share your journey to success with us?
Success can be seen from two perspectives: that of the company and that of its leader. In either case, success is achieved through the dedication and effort invested in seizing opportunities and assessing the chances of succeeding in those opportunities. This involves taking on an acceptable level of risk, whether independently or with the team you have at the time. As a woman, I understand that you cannot rely solely on yourself. In times of uncertainty and turbulence, an individual, regardless of his/her gender, cannot accomplish much alone. Therefore, to achieve success, it is crucial to have a clear vision of your goals and direction. This means knowing what you want to achieve and where you want to go. It is essential to understand your strengths and weaknesses, but above all, to have enough energy to drive not only yourself but your entire team forward.
Innovation is the driving force behind success. In the past, you have received awards for your digital factory concept. How successful has this initiative been?
We promptly pursued the significant development of the digital factory concept. Once you experience the benefits of digitalisation, it becomes something you want to continuously advance. What we initially termed the digital factory concept now seems like just the starting point, even two years later. The current state of digitalisation in production, the tools used across all company processes, and energy management systems that monitor, measure, and regulate consumption have matured significantly. We can no longer imagine running the company without these sophisticated digital tools that aid in creation, not just control. Alongside these digital tools, we have also gained valuable knowledge, experience, and partnerships with our suppliers. These elements are also crucial to the success of our digitalisation efforts.
To stay competitive, you innovate and invest in the development of hydraulic shock absorbers for rolling stock. Are you able to leverage subsidy programmes and collaborate with universities in this effort?
We are a medium-sized company without any foreign investment. Developing rolling stock and its components requires time, money, and expertise. These resources can be secured through well-chosen subsidy projects. Since 2018, we have been intensively developing advanced damping systems for railways using magnetorheological technologies in collaboration with the Brno University of Technology. Together, we have secured six grant projects and are nearing completion of a seventh. Our collaboration extends beyond BUT, with significant support from Czech Railways, the Research Institute of Rolling Stock, and the University of Pardubice. Thanks to this collaboration, we know that our new product can enhance passenger comfort by 30% at speeds of 160 km/h. This is a notable achievement given the current state of the rail infrastructure in this country and Europe. But we aim to go further; we want to demonstrate that this innovative damping technology can also reduce wear on vehicle wheelsets and the rail superstructure. These are the goals we share for the coming period.
Thank you for the interview.
