Text: Jaroslav Drahoš, Kateřina Misiarzová
It’s the last three years before our big anniversary. This period has been very special and extremely challenging in many ways. It has been full of unexpected events and challenges… And what have we managed to do? Judge for yourself…
FINIDR became the new owner of the former Těšín Printing House.
At the end of 2020, the former management of Těšín printing House decided to close its printing operations. The premises of the former Těšín Printing House are over 200 years old and Prochaska’s printing house also printed for the Imperial Court at the time of its greatest glory. Yet, in the 27 years that Těšín Printing House and FINIDR have been operating and moving in the same market and successfully cooperating in many areas, FINIDR has become much larger over time.
After the decision to shut down the Těšín Printing House, FINIDR was asked by its representatives to try to find a way to preserve at least part of this Těšín tradition. Negotiations resulted in successive agreements to take over some key staff, buy out the machinery and then an agreement to purchase the printing plant property. Thus, during the 2nd quarter of 2021, book production in this historic building was gradually revived again.
Unfortunately, 2021 was again marked by further waves of the COVID -19 pandemic. In hindsight, this may seem like science fiction, but at that time we really weren’t laughing at all. We took this situation very seriously and implemented steps and measures to cope with the pandemic on a daily basis. The Crisis Staff met at regular weekly intervals, responded quickly to frequent government changes in pandemic regulations, and systematically addressed the pandemic situation. The high standard of security and timely precautionary anti-pandemic measures set paid off and helped us in creating a safe environment for our suppliers, customers, and most importantly, our employees. We have successfully managed all waves of the outbreak.
“I would like to thank everyone for their tremendous efforts to find solutions to the problems that post-covidian syndromes. First of all, thank you to the great team Finidraks who have confirmed that even in these difficult times. to pull together to find a common solution, they are able to succeed and win!”
Jaroslav Drahoš
FINIDR has always been based on people and a team which pulling together. That is why we do not forget about our colleagues – former employees who were and still are part of our team, but due to their age have retired to a well-deserved retirement. Not only do we regularly invite them to our company events, but we also organize special meetings for them called the FINIDR Hearties Club and we are very pleased that these meetings enjoy such great interest. Even the Hearties themselves confirm that they enjoy the events we regularly invite them to. They appreciate the fact that their FINIDR printing house, and consequently Mr Drahoš himself, who always takes the time to welcome them personally, does not forget them even they are retired.
Jaroslav Drahoš becomes Entrepreneur of the Year in the Moravian-Silesian Region
This competition, organised by the prestigious Ernst & Young company, has a long tradition worldwide. The independent jury appreciated Jaroslav Drahoš for his great efforts to run a sustainable business.
And how Jaroslav Drahoš evaluates the award: “I have trusted books for 27 years. Investing in highest technology, which is extremely expensive, pays off. I appreciate this win very much. I did not expect that book production could win this award. Production with responsibility for people, deadlines and quality is demanding and this award belongs above all to all my collaborators.”
New hall
The year 2021 was a year of investments. In addition to the investment related to the acquisition of the building and some machines of the former Těšín printing house, it was decided to add another part of the hall on Lípová street. The extension of the area with 2500 m2 provided us with an important and necessary production space. The new hall, marked D, also has several ingenious ecological features, such as a rainwater tank, which water we use to flush the toilets.
Photovoltaics
The next stage in sustainability is the acquisition and installation of a photovoltaic power plant on the roof of the production hall. With this next step, we are becoming more self-sufficient, especially in a time of increasing energy prices.
Tree planting
Sustainable development and social responsibility are still priority topics for our printing company. Every year, we offset our environmental impact with our activities. In 2021, we have made a new commitment to plant one new tree in the Beskydy Mountains for every job we complete, under the guarantee of a selected non-profit organisation. Thanks to this activity, we contribute to the renewal of forests in our locality and plant native species that are missing in the current composition into monocultures. We believe that these steps will ensure a better and greener future for all of us.
Company party
After two years, when the world and the Czech Republic were hit by the pandemic covid-19, we are slowly getting back to normal, and we are organizing a company party for our employees as a thanks for their all year work.
We have produced 400 million books
FINIDR has reached another significant milestone by printing its 400 millionth book on 12 April 2022 in Český Těšín. The special publication was the title “Ako vznika sliepka” (“How the hen is made”) written by Milan Lasica and Julius Satinsky. The book was published by Slovart publishing house. All employees gathered in the production area, during a festive speech, the owner of the printing house Jaroslav Drahoš mapped its development over the years and thanked all those present who had an unquestionable share in the fact that the printing house had achieved such an important result. Achieving such a high number proves that FINIDR is still showing great results in these difficult times and is consistently one of the major employers in the region.
