You’ve spent your entire professional life in the field of industrial automation. How big of a change is it to join Actemium Slovakia?
Actemium Slovakia was the largest business partner in Slovakia for my previous employer, Yokogawa. The cooperation was mutual, but in most cases, Actemium Slovakia acted as the supplier. I also held the position of Country Manager for both the Czech Republic and Slovakia, so I know both markets very well.

Is that an advantage?
It’s definitely a huge advantage. I’ve known Actemium Slovakia for practically 25 years. We regularly worked together on joint projects and attended regional events for Central and Eastern Europe. Our business areas are closely related, and I can apply the experience I’ve gained over the past 25 years in industrial automation at ProCS.

How do the operations of Yokogawa and Actemium Slovakia differ?
Actemium Slovakia’s operations are much broader. We can handle comprehensive deliveries—from initial project documentation, through production, assembly, and installation, to final delivery and documentation. My previous employer had a narrower focus and outsourced some of these activities, often to Actemium Slovakia.

You’re joining the company as Head of Sales, but starting in 2026 you’re expected to take over as Managing Director and Business Unit Manager.
It’s part of a gradual handover process. I’m working closely with the current managing director and company founder, Štefan Bartošovič, on internal matters as well as customer relations.

What do you see as Actemium Slovakia’s greatest strength?
We repeatedly discussed this at my previous employer and concluded that there is no similar company in Slovakia offering such comprehensive services delivered at such a high level of quality. The complexity of our solutions, the highly skilled and capable team, and the quality of services we provide are clearly our strongest assets. We’re truly involved in projects from start to finish—doing basic design, initial technical proposals, specifications for control system suppliers, detailed design with documentation, and then also acting as a supplier and service provider.

And what do you see as the biggest threat?
The biggest threat is the weakening of the European economy. Our key clients are in the petrochemical, chemical, and energy sectors. We’re seeing some of them reassess their investment plans. For example, the fertilizer market is heavily affected by the import of Russian and Belarusian fertilizers into Europe. The main source for their production is natural gas—as both a raw material and an energy source. Since this commodity isn’t under embargo, deliveries to markets like Germany have increased up to tenfold over the past year.

If you had to say today what you’d want Actemium Slovakia to look like in five years, what would that be?
I’d be very happy if we could increase the number of young, talented people in the company who bring innovative ideas. I’d also like the company to focus more on high value-added services beyond traditional work like switchboard production, design, and maintenance. For example, cybersecurity is an area where we’re seeing a lot of demand. We’re ahead of many competitors—some of our services are already well accepted by customers. And, of course, I want us to make the company profitable and economically sustainable in the long term.

Key clients for Actemium Slovakia include Slovnaft and Duslo, a chemical company based in Šaľa—your hometown as well. Do you see more growth coming from existing clients or from acquiring new ones?
There is certainly room for developing cooperation with new clients. For example, we’re currently developing a partnership with IKEA, which has several manufacturing plants in Slovakia. We also see great potential in nuclear energy—there are now projects underway in Slovakia for small modular reactors, and our company is certified to work in nuclear power plants. It’s a stable business with strong potential, requiring high-quality engineering teams, just like in the chemical and petrochemical industries.

Speaking of nuclear energy brings up the possibility of expansion into the Czech market. You were, after all, country manager for both countries in your previous role.
That’s definitely part of the discussion—leveraging my experience from the Czech Republic. Without a doubt, it’s the first country where we’d like to become more active. We also see significant potential in Ukraine, once the war ends and industrial reconstruction begins.

How is the industrial automation field evolving? Is it conservative, or is there pressure for innovation?
The field is clearly changing. There’s growing demand for services that go beyond basic delivery. The portfolio of required services today is much broader. There’s also rapid development in control systems, especially in safety systems capable of bringing operations to a safe state without human intervention. There’s demand for functional safety analysis, which we have our own team for.

Another important topic is cybersecurity, especially in light of the updated European NIS2 directive being implemented in industrial automation.
Yes, this is another growing area of interest and opportunity.

How does sustainability fit into industrial automation?
For us, it’s a huge opportunity. Key clients are launching new projects—for example, DUSLO is working on producing green hydrogen using energy from wind and solar power. There are also investments in waste management and new incineration plants. These are new business opportunities for us. Every one of these new operations needs a supplier like Actemium Slovakia.

Would you call this a revolution or more of an evolution?
Let’s say it’s a fast-paced evolution. We’re adapting well—most of our team has a technical university education and can absorb these changes quickly. But we also want to focus more on business development and strengthen our marketing. It’s important for us to show that we’re leaders in our field.

This ties into a topic you mentioned earlier—being an attractive employer and bringing young, talented engineers into the company. In the past, one of the biggest obstacles was Actemium Slovakia’s location, relatively far from major cities.
I believe we can be attractive to students from this region who are studying in Bratislava or the Czech Republic. But we need to be more active—offering thesis topics, being present on professional social networks, and taking a more comprehensive approach to HR.

Your field borders on IT, where there’s enormous demand for talent.
Yes. We target people who don’t just want to sit behind a computer and code. We look for people who want to experience their work in real-world applications at the customer’s site. That’s where our strength lies. We’re not looking for people who want to work remotely and only send in results. We want talented engineers who want to see the real-world impact of their work—on both the design and programming side. People who want to commission our products at client sites, people who are passionate about technology. A huge advantage is also that we are part of the VINCI Energies group.

How has your current team responded to your strategic plans?
I’ve been gradually meeting with most employees, and I’ve been very positively surprised. Everyone is bringing ideas for changes and improvements. They’re proactive and full of suggestions. When employees are invested in the long-term success of the company, that’s an excellent foundation.