Technological Initiative Pilsen

On September 24, 2015 the General Meeting elected a new member of the Board of Technological Initiative Pilsen Mr. Johannes Hafner. Mr. Johannes Hafner represents company KONPLAN in the TIP. The Board of Directors elected Mr. Hafner as its Vice-Chairman. This site has become vacant following the resignation of longtime board member Mr. Johannes Heidecker from EvoBus Bohemia. Mr. Heidecker was entrusted by EvoBus group with new tasks outside the Czech Republic. Thank to Mr. Heidecker for his long work for the association of TIP and good luck to Mr. Hafner at work in the lead of TIP!

New Board of the TIP:

Martin Kořínek, předseda; Johannes Hafner, místopředseda; Pavel Majer.

At today’s joint meeting, representatives from the TIP and AutoSAP (Association of the Automotive Industry) met to discuss the situation in vocational education from the perspective of the industry. The joint meeting was also attended by the deputy governor of the Pilsen Region, Ivo Grüner. AutoSAP vice president Pavel Juříček acquainted those who were present with the most discussed topics, including: knowledge and skills of graduates, the structure of schools and disciplines, inadequate and inappropriate practices, proposals for legislative changes, working procedures, what was achieved and what remains to be solved.

The discussion, which was primarily in the area of education, was managed by Vice President Juříček. The starting point for changing the current unsatisfactory state of affairs is the introduction of elements of dual education, along with an increase in the share of practical training in companies.

From the perspective of businesses in the discussion, the following were heard:

• The Czech government bears responsibility for the education system and its adaptation to the labor market.
• Companies can take some responsibility in the area of practical training. Government has to create a functional legislative environment.
• The biggest problem in vocational education is linking theory with practice.
• It is important to align the offer of education with labor market needs.

The representative of the region – Mr. Ivo Grüner – said:

• The Pilsen Region is aware that technical education is a clear priority for the development of the region.
• The region supports technical education at all levels.
• The problem is the mobility of students, and then of graduates as well.
• It is necessary to create a social base for new company employees among graduates, including showing them the prospects for employment in the industry.
• Optimization (interfering with schools and disciplines) that does not have an application in the labor market is a very difficult topic, politically.
• An employment agreement has been prepared.

In conclusion, the firms that were present supported the following conclusions:

• Members of AutoSAP and TIP are partners with the Pilsen Region in the agenda for vocational education. The regional coordinator for AutoSAP to coordinate vocational education is Mgr. Martin Korinek – managing director of GRAMMER CZ, s.r.o. and chairman of the TIP board.
• The region and firms will elaborate a prediction of the labor market in the Pilsen Region. It was stressed that if there is no data from companies, the region cannot plan for its training needs.
• Firms in the region will be guided by the principles of the project “Our School” – partnerships between schools and businesses which are based on five basic pillars: parents, students, teachers, cooperation with companies and the practice of language skills, including internships abroad.
• The companies will create the concept of areas of training in the region (in collaboration with the region).
• AutoSAP offers cooperation and seeks to expand its membership base among the “automotive” companies of the Pilsen Region.
• The director of MAK (Moravian-Silesian Automotive Cluster), Ladislav Glogar, will provide the foundation for the project “Our School” for predicting the needs of the labor market. Material was prepared for the Moravian-Silesian Region (as a model).

Pilsen engineering company is growing succesfully

On September 11th 2015, Konplan s.r.o.,  engineering company with international scope based in Pilsen welcomed Jan Černý as 100th employer and at the same time announced next expansion of their office in Avalon Business Center. This succesful development together with Konplan company  celebrated also Mr.Martin Zrzavecký, Mayor of Pilsen, professor Tomáš Kaiser, Vice-rector of the West Bohemian University for research, Karla Staňková, Head of the office of the German-Czech Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Pilsen and  the Volker Kronseder, CEO of the mother company of KONPLAN, Krones AG in Germany.

In his welcome speech at first Dr. Thomas Oestreicher, who is together with Johannes Hafner executive director of Konplan company, explained to the guests the name „Konplan“. This title is a composition of german words KONstruieren (construction) and PLANen (planning) followed by an overview of business development. Konplan was founded in 2007 as subsidiary of german company Konplan GmbH. The first location was a small office close to Pilsen train station. In 2012 Konplan became a 100% subsidiary of Krones AG, a world leader in beverage and packaging technology based in Neutraubling near Regensburg. Over the years Konplan expanded, and so in 2011 it was necessary to move the company to the newly constructed office space in Avalon Business Center in Pilsen city center. On September 11th Konplan could welcome the 100th employee and open the second expansion. Konplan could present their impressive growth to the representatives of the city and Pilsen University.

The main customer of the engineering office is the mother company Krones. Employees of Konplan support Krones at planning, constructing and developing beverage and filling technology and equipment for production of beverage and in process technology, dealing with technology of production of beverage. In Czech Republic the end customers are Pilsner Urquell, Mattoni, Bohemia Sekt, but also international companies like Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Nestle or Heineken. In area of construction and development Konplan does not work only for Krones, but also for other well known customers from West Bohemia or Bavaria.

In the celebration a lot of praise fell on representatives of the city and Pilsen university. Konplan and Krones have been appreciated the great education of young graduates of mechanical engineering, electrotechnics or informatics from University of West Bohemia, but at the same time the good education on technical high schools, for example for mechanical engineering or electrotechnics. This great technical education was together with the location near Germany the main reason for the company Konplan to choose Pilsen as their location.

Konplan offers their employees attractive working places with longtime perspective. In the following years Konplan will continue investing and creating in the region more highly qualified jobs in the area of the city of Pilsen.

Media in the Pilsen region have increasingly more alert to the particular topic of technicaly oriented firms. This influential regional list released Thuesday, Jun 23, 2015 in a special supplement, which was entirely devoted to this topic. Apart from articles and interviews were published in Annex numerous company presentations. Thanks kindly permission of the editors, we bring you an electronic version of this Annex.

Plzeňský_Deník_23.6.2015_příloha

The company ZF Engineering in Plzeň is expanding. Today, the grand opening of a new development center building, which is among this German group’s 7 top development centers in the world, took place. In Plzeň, ZF constructs and tests motor vehicle components, programs and tests software, but also builds prototype components. Currently, there are more than 250 employees employed at the ZF development center in Plzeň. ZF has ambitious plans in Plzeň; it intends to continue to greatly increase the number of its employees. The ZF group recently merged with the TRW group and thus became a company with more than 130,000 employees.

Besides ZF group managers, participants in the festive day included the mayor of the city of Plzeň, Martin Zrzavecký, and the rector of the University of West Bohemia, Miroslav Holeček. Mayor Zrzavecký pledged maximum support for the ZF group. He stated that the city’s leadership is making an effort to expand the image of the city. “Today, it is a city of beer, engineering, sports and culture. However, Plzeň is also becoming a city of research, development and innovation. This modern trend, which the city of Plzeň is supporting on a long-term basis, is also being fulfilled successfully thanks to projects such as the expansion of the ZF development center. I perceive the ZF group as a socially responsible company that has its irreplaceable position in Plzeň among employers of highly qualified technical personnel”, Zrzavecký stated.

The rector of the University of West Bohemia, Miroslav Holeček, expressed pleasure in regard to the number of graduates of technical fields who are finding positions at the ZF development center in Plzeň. Upon the occasion of the opening of the new development center building, rector Holeček offered the representatives of the ZF group more long-term and deeper collaboration between the ZF group and four development centers of the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň – the European Centre of Excellence (New Technologies for the Information Society) and three regional centers: RICE (Regional Innovation Centre for Electrical Engineering), RTI (Regional Technological Institute) and NTC (New Technologies – Research Centre). “Contact points of research and development are clearly evident and the synergy thus brings about its fruit for both parties”, rector Holeček said to a representative of TIP after the completion of the official segment.

The managing director of ZF Engineering Plzeň, Mathias Eickhoff, thanked all of the participants who were involved in the realization of the challenging project, particularly his predecessor in the role of the managing director of the development center, Robert Ingenbleek, design firm TEBODIN, and construction company Berger Bohemia. “Everyone performed work on a professional level”, Eickhoff said.

It was held a tour of high-tech manufacturing intelligent factory Siemens in Amberg on April 29, 2015 . Production is secured by almost fully automated production lines, which produce a stunning variety of printed circuit boards and control units made by Siemens. This factory is the pride of German industry and it has been designated European factory of 2014. The visit was organized at the request of the association TIP with support Siemens Czech Republic and Siemens AG. This event was attended by representatives of ZF Staňkov, ZF Engineering Plzeň, AIMTEC, GOLDRATT, Openmatics, Rodenstock, BONNEL TECHNOLOGIE, Blue Projects Agency and ZČU: New Technologies – Research Centre. TIP member companies gained a significant inspiration for their business in the Pilsen region. Friends of Siemens, thank you!

The original wooden polytechnic construction kit allows you to create a variety of functional groups with targeting on the technical details. It develops manual dexterity and imagination andit is intended primarily for children (4 years). Individual parts are stored in boxes, which can also be used for creative activities.

By purchasing of this kit for kindergartens, primary schools and other institutions which cooperate with members and partners of associations TIP, It may be taken further positive steps to support technical education among children and adolescents.

More about construction kit here: POLYSTAV (only Czech)