Industry

The start of the year was promising and the outlook for our customers was very positive. During the spring, however, major changes gradually occurred at our largest customer, IFE, which began to massively postpone planned orders due to the transfer of projects by end customers. We naturally had to react to this situation. We withdrew production to 5 days without Saturday shifts, we freed up capacity for smaller customers and we also had a, for some very welcome, shutdown of the C1 and C2 plants in the first week of July, just after maintenance. These steps helped us to overcome a temporary drop in order volumes, which have been increasing again since August.

Another milestone for Industry is the installation of a robot workstation, which will help us to increase automation and eliminate the physically demanding work of our grinding operators. Work is currently underway on the first programs and the connection of the conveyor system so that the entire workplace is involved in mass production as soon as possible.

Automotive

One of our main goals this year is the installation of a second pretreatment robot with CO₂ technology and carbonization, including the application of a new control system from a domestic company. There is also the possibility of implementing new platforms where the assembly machines in the C6 warehouse would be moved to save storage space. We are also planning new investments in IT, logistics and technology.

The product portfolio in 2024 will remain similar to the previous year, i.e. painting of interior and exterior elements for the automotive sector, with the aim of increasing the painting of antifog materials and painting of electric bike frames, which we would like to double in volume this year. A hot new project is the developing cooperation with a foreign company based in Moravia, which is engaged in the production of car audio and external sound systems for cars. This cooperation could offer many components in terms of painting.

Plastic

The beginning of the year was exactly as expected - little time and a lot of work. We managed to move presses, install a new press, IATF certification audit, start new projects and much more. The next big step for the Plastic division was the purchase of TAJO in Moravská Třebová. The purchase of this company gave us additional large production facilities, warehouses and now also a paint line, thus expanding also our know-how. Of course, with the expansion of the company, new jobs have been and will be created.

The plan for the second half of the year is clear. To start the new plant in Moravská Třebová (now C9) in all aspects. This means a lot of work and a bit of chaos - moving moulds, moulding machines, projects, etc. Hopefully, teambuilding in the High Tatras will be the reward after all that work.

Fiber

From the beginning, the passion for cycling runs through Fiber's veins. It was immediately clear where the industry was going to develop. Last year we were able to start working with Advanced, a German manufacturer of electric bikes, for whom we initially painted frames made of a special plastic-carbon composite and later added post production. This year, however, a very important step has been achieved: we have acquired a mould and are starting to mould the frames for the German manufacturer directly in our Plastic division on a huge two-tonne machine. So we will finally be able to write proudly on the frames: Made in Boskovice. But not only that: we can offer our services and know-how to other cycling companies. From the moulding, through post-production to the final paintwork.

The project offers great potential for the entire holding. Cycling and micromobility is on the rise worldwide and brings very interesting business opportunities. If the current negotiations with new customers turn out as we would like to, it will bring prestigious work not only for Fibre but also for the Plastic and Automotive divisions.