Making the right choice
Pavel Zerotinsky is a man who knows what he wants. With TAF being his first employer right after graduation from the university in 2002, he rose through the ranks to his current position of Production Manager – the master of all manufacturing activities in the TAF factory. Pavel is living proof that your first choice can indeed be the best one!
1. Can you tell us a little about yourself, such as where you are from, your life growing up and educational background?
I grew up in the Silesia region of the Czech Republic and attended primary school there. I then moved to the city of Olomouc, where TAF headquarters are based, to attend secondary school and a trade school. After graduation, I went the Brno University of Technology and majored in Mechanical Engineering.
2. What was your professional experience before starting with TAF?
I’m happy to say that I joined TAF right after graduating from the university. All of my professional experience was gained there.
3. When did you start working with TAF and what led to your current position of Production Manager?
I started at TAF in April 2002 as "technical support". As the company grew, I was given more and more responsibilities across different departments - purchasing, CAD sales and production. When all of the hats I was wearing became a little too overbearing, I became the Production Manager. This position allowed me to strictly focus my attention on running the factory, which also involves many different responsibilities, but at least everything takes place within one area and department.
4. You are responsible for the daily operation of the TAF factory and everything around it. Can you describe your responsibilities and what a typical day is like for you?
My daily routine includes checking the status of the wide variety of orders we have in production, as well as planning out new ones - from standard orders to very demanding projects. And last, but not least, I need to consistently monitor key production points to ensure smooth operation of all processes and their efficiency.
5. Can you talk about some highlights or milestones at the factory during your time there and how you see its development going forward?
In addition to the impressive projects my colleagues had mentioned in previous interviews, I would like highlight a few TAF milestones. These include the company's move to its current premises in 2004, the important expansion of TAF‘s production facilities in 2010 and the construction of a second production hall in 2015. The implementation of a fully automated robotic workstation in 2019 also proved to be crucial in optimizing our production capacity and efficiency. In fact, we were the first company in the industry to add robotic welding to our production process!
Regarding the development of TAF going forward, we will certainly continue to improve our production processes, in terms of quality, capacity and efficiency. We will also expand the size of our production and storage facilities. The company and its production output are constantly growing and we need to keep pace with this growth. At the same time, we need to further strengthen the strong reputation TAF has built as one of the world‘s premier truss and support structure manufacturers.
6. What do you like to do in your free time, such as hobbies, sports or other activities?
I‘ve always loved sports. From the age of five, I played hockey and football. When I got older, I started to play tennis and shoot firearms. My first love, however, is hockey. I played it until I was 44 years old. Unfortunately, I had to quit playing, due to my health. These days, I am mainly cycling and walking my dog.
