We must not forget the values that support our foundations

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For the first time in Aimtec’s history, neither of its founders is serving as its CEO. Jaroslav Follprecht and Roman Žák have placed the company in the hands of Pavel Boháč, an experienced manager previously in charge of the division that handles planning and data processing.  

Pavel, what’s your perception of Aimtec?  

I like the idea of Aimtec being not just a software company, but above all an ability company. We say of ourselves that we’re not only a tech firm, we’re a consulting firm as well – we try to discern and identify what the customer really needs. And sometimes we take the customer’s solution concept and, positively speaking, shatter it. That takes not just experience and a certain courage, but above all a real concern. I’ve been here for over ten years. I’ve seen a huge shift not just technologically, but also towards global projects, tough customer tasks and comprehensive solutions. What has not shifted is our motivation to do our work just a little bit better every day.

What do you see, from your position as the new CEO, as the greatest challenge ahead of us? 

We sometimes say that one requirement for a new colleague is for our people to be able to imagine heading out with them after work “for a beer”. At Aimtec authority isn’t built up through roles in a hierarchy, but through abilities. We work on complicated and demanding projects, so we have to be able to rely on and complement each other.

However, we’re growing. We’re not one hundred people now, but three hundred. To me, preserving shared values and keeping Aimtec’s family atmosphere and strong culture in a way that makes all these things more than a cliché is the greatest challenge. We don’t just do this to have a good internal atmosphere. We “think different” in our approach to cooperation inside the firm and out towards customers – as an employer and as a partner in business. I’m not worried that we’d ever collapse before a major business challenge, as long as we don’t forget the values that support our foundations.  

You’re now leading – as you noted – almost three hundred people. What’s your approach to team management? What would you say is key when leading people? 

I “grew up” as a manager at Aimtec, and I always admired the openness and authenticity of both its founders, with whom I cooperate closely even today. I try to take inspiration from them. To never hide anything or pretend. It’s also important, I’d say, to not view people purely in the context of work. We all have our own private lives, joys and worries. We shouldn’t pretend to be machines. This approach has never brought me anything but the best.

When I’ve supported my workmates in tough times, such as periods when they were doing badly personally, they later had my back as a manager when we had to buckle up for a project, grit our teeth and push past the bumps. 

Talking of projects, as a division head, you also worked in a consulting role. What was the biggest experience for you? 

I recall one large project I contributed to in the beginnings of my work for Aimtec. This was a roll-out to branches on five continents. Discussions going on in a multicultural environment, in many time zones and on many political levels. I learned here how to work with client-side expectations. To explain and define the scopes of tasks and proposed solutions. I confirmed the importance of our ability to pull through on a project even if something hasn’t worked out exactly as we’d imagined. In my new role I’m truly grateful to have had this kind of experience.

This might be a rather tired question, but where do you want to take Aimtec within, say, five years?

I’d like for Aimtec to confirm its role as a partner to corporate customers in automotive. These are immensely demanding clients with lots of special requirements, which we know how to meet. We’re able to accommodate demands from their headquarters and adapt our solutions to their individual sites. We know how to resolve the “corporate dilemma” – that’s our puffed-up name for this clash between corporation-wide standardisation and the necessary flexibility for branches.

Meanwhile, we’ll also focus on developing our global impact. We’ve already ramped up our activities in Germany, the automotive heart of Europe; we’re also awaiting a boost to our presence in the US, where a number of global OEM suppliers are headquartered.

But as I’ve said: let’s mainly keep everything that’s unique about Aimtec. I don’t want to fundamentally change how we work, but rather to open new doors for Aimtec – to harness the company’s potential, of which I am convinced.

We’re now just past 2024’s Trends in Automotive Logistics – a conference Aimtec has been organising for over twenty years. In your opinion, what trend will have a major importance in the coming years?

It won’t surprise anybody when I say “artificial intelligence”. But you need to keep in mind that a change of mindset, of how we think about things, is a precondition for utilising it. And not just that. Data – and data purity – will grow in importance more than ever. After all, to get a good output from AI, you need to have enough high-quality data as an input. So, the use of any part of AI will hinge on the comprehensive tasks of data collection, analysis, synthesis and, once again, purity.

But overall I’d say the biggest trend is the building up of business resilience and sustainability. The last few years have shown us that unpredictability is our only certainty. In this respect, the digital transformation and new technologies can help us respond swiftly and in the right manner. That’s critical for success – as well as mere survival. We are able to guide our customers down this road.

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