Culture as Capital: How Aimtec Is Handling a Generational Transition

Roman Žák: We met over thirty years ago in one small company in Pilsen where they were putting in an Australian ERP. We were both sure that we wanted to run a company a different way – and that led to the idea of founding a company of our own. We then went on to gather experience in the newly founded industrial division of one Prague software company. It was later swallowed up by Deloitte. As the “youngsters”, we found the concern’s decision-making processes in those days very drawn-out. That’s why after about three years there, we decided to head out on our own.

Roman Žák: We wanted to create a better environment for employees and offer customers better services. Our vision for Aimtec was to be structured, organised and focused on outcomes. This even reached down to using a CRM instead of Word for managing customer relationships.

Jaroslav Follprecht: People come first. Our success stands or falls with the people who deliver our comprehensive services. Motivated workers make for satisfied customers. That has guided us since our founding; you might call it our cornerstone. We want to form an environment where employees blossom and provide better services to our customers – in a manner that’s structured, organised and results-oriented.

Roman Žák: Our ultimate goal is to create real added value with long-term utility for our customers, which they can then develop on their own – in other words, helping them build their capabilities. Meanwhile, we bring reliability, keep our promises and ensure their success. And we think ahead; we work with everything in context, get rid of silos and concentrate on cross-system effects.

Jaroslav Follprecht: In the last three decades, we’ve evolved from a provider of individual WMS, MES and quality assurance solutions into an end-to-end digitalisation partner. We’ve been working with our customers for many years, including work internationally. It’s very enriching and inspiring, and above all comes with a great sense of responsibility, but it takes high dedication and a lot of time. We’re happy to invest all of this, because we emphasise leading businesses through the whole digitalisation process within a sustainable partnership.

At sixty, it was clear to me that I didn’t want to still be a director at seventy. That’s why in 2023, Roman and I started thinking about our successors.

Roman Žák: It was important to us for Aimtec to remain sustainable independently of the two of us. That’s why we cared so much about having a well-functioning supervisory board. That’s why in our dual system, the Board of Directors runs the company day to day. The Supervisory Board determines the direction, monitors operating performance and ensures transparency.

While setting up this structure and seeking inspiration in other companies, we encountered a Czech network of family-owned businesses – Family Business Network Czech (FBN Czech). We realised that Aimtec is a family-owned business too – albeit formed by two families. And we wanted to retain this character no matter what. That’s why we decided to choose a successor from within Aimtec.

Roman Žák: The Supervisory Board was heavily involved in the entire process; it has extensive experience in the area of human resources. Although professional criteria provided the formal framework, cultural fit was clearly fundamental for us. It was essential to find someone who would understand and embody Aimtec’s DNA – someone with a human approach, reliable and able to think long term.

Jaroslav Follprecht: It was about two years from the idea of finding a successor to the fundamental decision between seeking someone “internal” or “external”. The actual selection among the candidates took about one more year. Our new CEO Pavel Boháč has been at Aimtec since 2013 and knows the company well. He led the Advanced Planning and Scheduling division for several years and knew his way around HR, sales, finances and implementation. But above all, he embodied Aimtec’s values, company culture and DNA – that was what decided it for us.

Jaroslav Follprecht: Since the 2008 financial crisis, we’ve had formal financial management in place and set up a management accounting system, delegated our authority and divided the company into units that are responsible for results in their areas. So there was basically nothing to hand over.

Roman Žák: A few enquiries did arrive from acquisition companies and investors. But the key principle of private equity – that is, the emphasis on short- and medium-term profits, increasing value and then selling off – that didn’t fit with how we wanted to develop Aimtec. That’s why we decided to remain a family-owned business – with a supervisory board, a successor in the CEO position and a continuation of our DNA.

Roman Žák: Jaroslav and I have moved on to the Supervisory Board. Now that we have more distance from day-to-day affairs, we can watch things from a bird’s-eye view. This allows us to ask the right strategic questions and concentrate on Aimtec’s long-term viability as a family-owned business. Five years ago, we were still planning three to five years ahead; today we’re thinking about what will come in ten, twenty or even fifty years. This broader perspective and long-term focus have proved very beneficial for everyone.

Jaroslav Follprecht: We have a number of Japanese customers, because Toyota has opened a plant in Kolín and brought in a number of suppliers from Japan. Roughly 96 percent of Japanese businesses are family-owned – the percentage is higher than in Germany. Both these companies and other customers explicitly welcome our decision to remain family-owned. Many see it as an expression of reliability – towards our employees, customers and partners.

Roman Žák: As a family-owned business we can actively influence the world around us. We’re active in CSR; we organise one of the region’s largest mountain-bike races, attended by over 700 children and grown-ups. We cooperate with schools and universities. Then there’s #AimtecHackathon, an entirely exceptional event that saw its tenth year in 2026. Within it, teams made up of young developers, graphic designers and software architects are tasked with programming an application in a single weekend to help people with handicaps. Through this event, we support technical education and IT awareness among the public. We do all this because we’re convinced that our added value and growth are directly related to how we benefit society overall. We’re proud to be a Czech and European business.

Roman Žák: We’ve basically vacated our offices. Even though we often work from home, we still like to head into work – it’s simply enriching to meet up with our colleagues in the environment we built and shaped together. Meeting in person strengthens solidarity and helps us stay active in our current roles.

Roman Žák: In the days when Aimtec had fifty employees and we knew all their names and faces, we could stay in touch every day. And even though we can’t do it that directly today, the relationships and values we espouse remain fundamental for us. The current leadership is strengthening middle management and working to ensure everyone adopts the company strategy well enough that they can quickly make decisions in line with the Aimtec spirit.

Jaroslav Follprecht: The world has greatly sped up. Back when we founded Aimtec, there was no COVID, there were no blocked sea routes, and electric cars were something for the far future. The macroeconomic environment has changed fundamentally. People likewise have new expectations – of their lives and their employers.

Roman Žák: The mistakes entrepreneurs could get away with in the nineties are no longer something the market will forgive. Greater professionalism is expected. Tools such as artificial intelligence let us quickly shape better solutions. Our colleagues’ work is more demanding and mutual support is more important than ever. Values are becoming more important.

Jaroslav Follprecht: Have the courage to delegate. I always delegated as much as I could, and that paid off during the changing of the guard: there was nothing to hand over, because it was already all taken care of.

Roman Žák: Don’t be afraid of risks. Believe in yourself. Be ambitious and have high goals.