From a cargo vessel to a sailing boat

Askoll Slovakia, among the key players in the manufacturing industry of Home Appliance components, introduces its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. A conversation with his General Manager, Martin Zeman, highlights their market vision and the ongoing transformation.

The history of Askoll Slovakia goes back to 1993, when Emerson, who owned the Company at that time, decided to move some of the electric motors production lines from Italy (Asti) to Slovakia (Nove Mesto nad Vahom). Some 15 years later, in 2008, further to an acquisition, the Slovakian plant became part of Askoll Companies, bringing to the Group based in Dueville (Italy) a position among the key players in the Home Appliance components market. An important investment followed the acquisition and less than 2 years later, a new production plant site was successfully launched in Potvorice, shifting all production lines and equipment from original production site in Nove Mesto nad Vahom to the new one. With this important step, the Slovakian site was now set up to face new business challenges.

Growth and development
One of the first tasks for the new Slovakian management was to make the company and its organizational structure slimmer, leaner, making it more agile, responsive and faster in its operations. This was a challenging task, however it was the only way to start the transition process from a mid-size company with “traditional“ business approach to a company with a new approach, in certain aspects pioneering. The impact was mainly on costs, but also on internal relationships, bringing less communication problems thanks to an organization with direct and motivational relationship between leaders and their teams. The main intention behind the transformation of Askoll Slovakia to a more efficient and healthy company was, in addition to competitiveness, the portfolio increase, meaning that from a sole electric motors producers, Askoll Slovakia became a producer of pumps for dishwashers and washing machines too. Businesswise this was the major strategic step forward, as in a relatively very short time Askoll managed to reach the overall goal: increase volumes and marginality within the Askoll Group.

The importance of people
«One of our main goals has always been to look at the company as a unique bio system where profitability and people enhancement always go hand in hand. The best strategies mean nothing without people working to implement them. We strongly believe in the benefits of the team working and the fact that every individual within Askoll Slovakia plays a crucial role in achieving our goals, each with his/her own abilities», says Martin Zeman.
«And so everyone is equally important, the operator as well as the manager and this perception is felt within the whole organization. The average workforce turnover in Askoll Slovakia is of 16 years, which is something extraordinary in this area, we are convinced that the managerial approach we chose is the winning one».

Future perspective
«What the future will bring us is hard to predict, the global economy suffers from macro factors, first Covid effects, then we faced the Ukrainian war crisis and now the Chinese economy slowdown. As a result, we are still suffering a significant demand drop, especially in Europe where also the main market actors are evolving and we need to be fast in answering the new market exigencies. The whole Askoll Group, Slovakian plant included, sees these changes as opportunities to make our position in the market of home appliance components even stronger thanks to our innovative, more sophisticated and sustainable products and processes. The introduction of the three-phase pump, developed with the support of the Italian technical team, is the innovative transformation of the plant, leading to a complete reset of the production lines and marking an important phase of growth.
Our path is the result of a transformation from a cumbersome Cargo vessel to a much more manoeuvrable sailing boat, setting our sights on the horizon with full sails».
«We embrace changes and innovation, and we are ready to navigate into new challenges. We are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and are dedicated to being a force for positive change in the world of Home Appliance Components», concludes Martin Zeman.