Sales Representative Radka Synková: I see potential in foreign markets

When did you start at SVITAP company? Have you always been a sales representative?

I have been working at SVITAP company since 2014, when I started as a sales officer for the foreign market of technical fabrics (at that time it was Division II). However, due to a reorganisation, the operation was closed in 2022 and I was offered the position of sales manager for textile laminates. At that time still in Nanomembrane. Subsequently, due to the retirement of a colleague, an offer came to work in sales on tape fabrics. I am now on maternity leave but work partly from home.

So what do you do in the SVITAP company?

Partly we still sell leftover technical fabrics, but mainly I sell woven laminated foil and fabric for dog trainers, abbreviated K9. The laminated foils are flat fabrics woven from strips of high-density polyethylene coated with cashmere - LDPE. A typical example is the foil used for the production of foil trays. K9 fabrics are materials for the production of protective suits for dog trainers, sleeves and toys. The materials are very strong and durable to withstand as many "dog bites" as possible during training.

Do you tend to have regular customers or are you looking for new business opportunities?

We have steady customers on the webbing and have been working with most of them for many years. For K9 fabrics, these are also regular customers.

After covid, everything went online and personal contact is not so frequent. Nevertheless, we occasionally meet some of our customers at the meeting tables. I think it's better for maintaining relationships in general. When a business partner sees who is standing on the other side and representing the company, they can talk to you informally. I think the customers are happy that SVITAP company continues to develop and innovate over time.

Do you have customers only in the Czech Republic or do you also sell abroad? Where is the furthest?

We produce reinforced polyethylene foils mainly for domestic customers. About 5% of our production goes abroad, mainly to Slovakia, Poland, Austria but we also have customers in Turkey and Romania. K9 fabrics on the other hand are sold mainly abroad.

We have customers in France, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Canada, USA and Mexico. The most interesting was probably the demand from Kyrgyzstan, unfortunately the cooperation did not work out due to high transport costs.

How much of a threat is competition to SVITAP company?

Unfortunately the competition for laminated fabrics is great. It is worthwhile for customers to import large orders from far away, where the production price is much lower. However, we try to optimize the production process, offer customers high quality, fast production and delivery times and a better price for larger orders. When the production of technical fabrics was taking place in plant in Svitavy, K9 fabrics had no competition in Europe. However, after the closure of the division and the loss of production, competing weaving mills seized the opportunity and we now know that similar fabrics are being produced in countries such as Poland and Pakistan. Anyway, we offer high quality, long experience and above all the possibility of smaller orders.

Where do you see possible development in the future?

As I mentioned, our customers are mainly from the Czech Republic. And although the competition is great, I see potential abroad. We are building awareness of SVITAP in other European countries. We are also preparing new products in our product range and now we are focusing on the design of film with reduced flammability. If the results are good, we will also be able to offer our customers such a modified film, which is suitable for packaging machines, for example.

You're currently on parental leave and also keeping up with work commitments. How do you manage to combine work and childcare?

I tried working from home while being a parent with my first son, so I knew what I was getting into :-). However, I am grateful to my husband, who is a great support, a helping hand and most importantly, he tolerates that I "do not keep up". But I also have to thank my colleagues who help me in many things.

Visit our websites:
www.svitapfol.cz / www.tkaniny-svitap.cz