Director of the plant in Lomnice nad Popelkou Luboš Hlava: In Lomnice we are pulling together

When you say "Technolen" in Lomnice nad Popelkou, all the locals immediately think of weaving machines, tarpaulins and tents. You could count on one hand the number of Lomnickians who have not worked in this company, or at least someone from their family. The history of the company goes back over 200 years and, with some changes and gradual development, it has kept its production to this day. It now produces under the SVITAP brand. How far back the tradition of production goes, what they face in the operation and what products are most in demand, the director of the plant, Mr. Mgr. Luboš Hlava.

Technolen is without exaggeration a phenomenon of Lomnice and the whole Podkrkonoší region. Can you tell us more about its history?

The origin of Technolen company dates back to 1808, when it was founded as a family business by Mr. Šlechta. At that time, linen was produced here on looms. The textile industry was typical of the Podkrkonoší region, which is why the company grew very quickly and soon supplied the whole of Europe. During the communist era, it became a national enterprise and logically focused mainly on eastern markets. The original historic building where it all began stands by the pond at the far end of Lomnice.

The building where we are now was built in the 1960s. It is quite large and strategically located by the station. It was used as a warehouse and from the station the goods went straight to Russia. Technolen was very advanced for its time. By the end of the 1980s, Technolen was also supplying the West. Cotton tarpaulins, technical fabrics were produced here and the company developed its own recipes and materials. Gradually, the decision to make their own products came about, so the production of tents began.

This was followed up, for example, by the rubberization of sails, which improved At the height of the boom, there were around 500 employees.

How did the company develop after 1989?

After the collapse of totalitarianism, the national enterprise collapsed and the plants were gradually privatised. The plant in Lomnice was bought by Mehler AG company, which also privatised other plants in the Podkrkonoší region. In 2019, it was decided that part of the plant, Technolen technický textil s.r.o., BU3 Lomnice nad Popelkou, would be offered for sale. Technolen was then acquired by SVITAP company as of 1 June 2021, after a covid period. Mehler Texnologies still operates in the original historical building where they weave and apply sails here. We produce a completely different range of products, but we cooperate on a certain basis.

What is the main production programme today?

We specialise as a proper garment company in sewing and welding different types of fabrics such as cotton, blended fabrics, non-woven fabrics and of course PVC tarpaulins. Since 2010, our production program has been based on three pillars. The first is the tent programme, where we produce tents in series and to order. The basis is a canvas made of cotton, which is coated. We can tailor make anything for our customers without exaggeration, from camping tents, verandas to caravans, party tents, to various cover tarpaulins.

For one customer for example, we recently sewed a tarp for a fighter plane. The second programme is products made from welded PVC. We also use this to make various tents and tarpaulins, but also for example rescue stretchers, flood walls or tarpaulins for storage halls. The third pillar is various transport systems. In our case, we supply container liners for the automotive industry, which are used to protect the goods being transported.

Who are your customers, where do you deliver to?

We focus mainly on foreign markets. We have our regular clients, but of course we are also looking for new collaborations. What our customers appreciate very much is the tradition of the company. They often don't understand how the company has managed to survive all the turbulence of the last two centuries. That is why they see us as a strong company with a stable background and quality products. We supply most of our goods to Europe. We have very good relations with our partners and we always try to get along. For each new order, it takes a year of development before mass production starts.

Samples are made, quality tests are done, and it is checked whether the production price can be maintained.

How do you fight the competition?

Our goal is to maintain quality at an affordable cost, which is not always easy. Of course, we have competition from Eastern Europe on our back, especially Bulgaria, Hungary, and recently Poland and most of all China. They are still able to push prices down, both in terms of minimum wages and raw materials. We must therefore also adjust the price on that basis. In any case, we stand by buying our raw materials from Europe, where we can still be sure that the goods meet the legislative conditions - that is, both quality and ecological production.

Which products are in the highest demand?

We have the advantage of a very wide range of products, so it is easy for us to base our current business on products that are currently in demand. We can also adapt a lot, we can produce practically anything. Since the pandemic, for example, the tent programme has been in vogue. People have got used to a different way of travelling and there is interest in tents and caravan tents. We mainly supply Germany, Holland and Denmark, but also the Czech Republic.

Recently, luxury camping, so-called glamping, has also become popular. Who buys tents?

Most of the things we produce for companies in series, but in the case of tents it can also be in individual pieces. Glamping tents are becoming increasingly popular, ordered by campsites, farms, but also by entrepreneurs who want to offer seasonal accommodation in the countryside. Last time we did a larger order for ZOO Dvůr Králové nad Labem, who equipped their safari camp with luxury tents. The tent is not year-round, it is erected around May and the season ends in autumn, depending on the weather. We also supply the structure to the tents, but not the platform. We are, dare I say it, the market leader among tent programs.

How many employees work in the company?

We have had a stable number of employees for several years. We currently have 70 employees, 40 of whom are manual workers, welders and seamstresses. We really appreciate all our employees, we are like a family company. We pull together, we are a team and we help each other. Perhaps that's why we have minimal turnover. Everyone knows what to do, they come up with new ideas or solutions themselves. Mostly Lomnicans work here, which is why we sometimes have a sentimental relationship with the company. I would like to thank everyone very much! Some of them have worked here all their lives. It is even harder to find adequate replacements for them when they are approaching retirement age.

Are there any quality workers available in the industry?

The biggest problem is finding seamstresses. Unfortunately, this craft is slowly dying out. There aren't even adequate apprenticeships, the only one is in Nová Paka. Being a seamstress is quite a demanding profession in our country - it's not clothes, the sheets are heavy. That's not the only reason why young people don't want to do it. So we are looking where we can, even in the eastern markets. We also took some workers from Ukraine who fled the war. We helped them, in cooperation with the city, to find a home for their families and a school for their children. It paid off. The women had either sewn before or learned fairly quickly. They are very skilled and skilled people.

Where is SVITAP company in Lomnice heading now?

Last year we moved the welding workshop from Svitavy to Lomnice and from September 2022 we started mass production. We make party tents, tarpaulins for warehouse halls and PVC shelters here. We want to expand our sewing programme - we are looking for new seamstresses, we have the premises ready. We keep the know-how, we are ready to react to the needs of the market because we have the technology. Our machines, even though some of them are years old, can do everything we need. In the welding shop, we have all possible welding technologies - hot air, hot wedge and high-frequency welding. However, we have recently purchased a seam sealer, which ensures that water does not leak through the seams. This takes the products a step further. So we are now moving more in the direction of finding savings on operations and energy consumption. We've replaced all the lighting with LED, which will give us a 30-35% saving, we're tackling the heating system and we plan to replace the old iron windows with new ones. We are also considering photovoltaics. We have plenty of orders now, we have a perfect and stable team and we are open to new opportunities.