We want to help to make Pilsen attractive for people who do not live here yet

Matthias Weinzierl is the head of Konplan and has very ambitious plans not only for Konplan, but also for the whole of Pilsen. The reason is simple: he fell in love with it here.

How long have you been working in Pilsen and what brought you here?

I've been here for two years. Konplan is a wholly owned subsidiary of Krones AG from Neutraubling, where I had previously worked for twenty-three years. My predecessor then invited me to Pilsen one day, and it was a beautiful September day, I was driving along Folmavská Street and saw the new nice and beautiful building of KONPLAN. The general manager showed it to me and then we went to lunch in town. And I found out that Pilsen is a cool place to live.

You´ve never been to Pilsen before?

Maybe ten, fifteen years ago. But my impressions at this time were not positive at all. It didn't have a highway bypass, there was very heavy traffic and dirt. Pilsen just wasn't pretty.

And now it's better?

Much better – Pilsen is not comparable to this first impression! There are not so many trucks in the center. You can see how the city is developing. In the last two years alone, I see a lot of changes that have taken place here. Pilsen is really amazing.

Are you at home here?

Yes and no. My permanent residence is in Germany. I arrive in Pilsen on Sunday evening and leave on Friday. I spend my weekends at home with my wife. But since I spent five days in Pilsen and only two in Germany, I can say that I live here.

Are we, the Czechs, different than you originally thought?

Yes.

How? Or in what?

In a positive sense. When I lived in Germany, I thought to myself: we have a subsidiary in Pilsen that does great things, but it is difficult to work with people here. There is a problem in language skills, in communication, in mutual understanding, in education. A lot of things struck me as a problem. But then I found out that everything is different. People here are in many ways more persuasive, much more willing to perform. They don't talk for long hours, but they go straight to the point and work. And they also like to see things go somewhere. And what fascinates me the most in the Czech Republic is the speed with which motorways are repaired here. In Germany, sixteen kilometers of motorway are repaired for half a year. You will put all your strength into it and you will be able to do it in two months. This is fantastic!

Do you mean that Czechs are better than Germans?

No question! In many things.

You see, and we don't think so. After all, the Germans are much more systematic, while we like to improvise.

And that's good or bad?

How when.

You can say that again! Often this is positive. When you need to make a decision based on experience and quickly, the ability to improvise is a great advantage. The Germans need to have one hundred percent of all their decisions planned. Step by step the whole process. Have a plan for three, five years. Yes, long-term plans are good. But there are many small steps along the way where you need to make decisions that couldn't have been planned ahead. Improvisation is essential here. That is why the Czech Republic is so fast and pragmatic. You don't discuss problems much, you solve them.

Really?

That's my feeling. On the other hand, I did not expect such major problems with communication. Inside the team, people talk to each other without any problems. But teams don't communicate much with each other. This is a big challenge for me. However, as a whole, you have an open mind, you are hardworking and very loyal to your employer. I've met a lot of great people here.

Your company needs qualified experts in electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Do you find enough of them in Pilsen?

We find people, but there are not enough of them. It's extremely challenging. The labour market in the Czech Republic and especially in Pilsen is quite empty.

What´s your cooperation with the West Bohemian University?

We are neighbors, but we could not cooperate during covid. We are in contact with the Faculty of Applied Siences, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, we need to connect with the Faculty of Economics. The university has students and we can offer them interesting practice and perspectives.

What other schools do you cooperate with or would you like to cooperate with?

We cooperate with secondary schools and we are also heading to primary schools. Because it is important to catch children and get them excited about technical fields.

Konplan has repeatedly obtained the MAMMA / PARENT FRIENDLY Certificate. Why is the work-life balance of your employees important to you?

Increasingly, we are faced with the problem of finding people and at the same time allowing them to combine modern lifestyles, work, family, and children. We want them to be not only dad or mom, but also to be part of our society. And so, for example, we allow them to work from home when they have a sick child. Does the mother need to send the child to school in the morning? Safe and sound. Let him come to work in the afternoon or later. Flexibility is important.

We are now also introducing the possibility for a woman returning after parental leave to work only part-time. This is also very important for us. We do not have low-skilled employees, but engineers, and they must stay in touch with their field. And this works great. The main reason we do this is that in our industry, one has to gain experience for a long time. It is best if he spends his entire career in Konplan. That is why whole families work with us: father and son, mother and daughter.

Where do you see Konplan for example in five or ten years?

We want to grow. The building you see is for four hundred people. Two hundred and fifty are already working here. This year there will be two hundred and ninety of us, next year three hundred and sixty, and in three, four years the building is full and we will build next to the second, the same. That will be for a total of eight hundred people. And if you look outside, the entire area up to the roundabout will be Konplan in the future. These are our plans for ten years.