December 2024 - the twelfth month of NOBO Auto

With the arrival of the new year, I bring you another part of the story of building NOBO AUTO in České Budějovice. The last two months have been packed with events that have moved us significantly towards the start of production, and I am happy to share them with you.

For more than a year I have been sharing with you our journey of building a car seat manufacturing plant in České Budějovice. I do this because I believe in open communication - I want potential colleagues and the general public to see how a modern automotive company is created from the very beginning. It's a story full of challenges, but also small successes that push us further every day.

From LEGO to seat production

We are currently in a phase where we are intensively preparing for the arrival of the first production operators. The selection process is practical - in addition to the interview, candidates compose small LEGOs and solve mathematical problems and attention tests. In March, we will welcome the first 20 production colleagues among us.

We are preparing a special training zone for their training. It's a concept we're really proud of - new recruits will have two weeks to learn all our standards and processes in a training environment. They can try everything out without any mistakes affecting the final product for the customer.

Intercultural workshop

As our team grew, we realized the importance of mutual understanding between our Czech and Chinese colleagues. Therefore, we organized an intercultural workshop where Daniela Víznerová RACR introduced Czech customs and my colleague Senjie introduced Chinese ones. We learned, for example, that in China, when toasting, a higher ranking person should always hold his glass higher than his subordinate, or that open criticism in front of others is a complete taboo in their culture.

A follow-up workshop for company management focused on the key role of foremen and "team leaders" in production. It is this first line of leadership that has the greatest impact on the success of the entire company - they are the ones who work with people every day, solve problems in real time and directly impact the quality and efficiency of production. In the workshop, we went into detail about their future responsibilities - from tracking production metrics to managing quality to leading teams. We also looked at what specific tools and support we would provide them with to effectively lead and develop their teams. Because we realise that it is the team leaders in production and logistics who will be key not only to training new colleagues, but above all to creating the right company culture directly in production and logistics.

In January, I also conducted a training session for those interested in using AI tools in their professional and personal lives. It's great to see how many colleagues are interested in developing their digital skills and finding new ways to make their work more efficient. From simple administrative tasks to more complex analysis, the possibilities are almost limitless.

Installation of technologies

In the meantime, the installation of technology is underway in the new building. We are assembling production lines for seats, installing a foaming line and an automatic warehouse. When I walk through the hall and see the empty space being transformed into a modern production facility, I realise how far we have come in a year. Slowly but surely, the first samples from the Budweis production are coming closer to reality.

Our team is also growing at an unprecedented rate. We have five new colleagues since January and will welcome five more in February. And I'm not talking about the dozens of colleagues from China - since January, we've had project managers, technologists and installation teams joining us. We have even rented an entire hotel near the railway station in Budějovice for their comfortable stay. It's fascinating to see how a formerly empty building is becoming a multicultural workplace full of energy and ideas.

When I look back on these two months, I see how everything is starting to fall into place. From the careful preparation of the training environment, to building an international team, to the installation of cutting-edge technology - every step brings us closer to our goal: to build a modern race in České Budějovice where people feel good and proud of their work. Colleague Sudik David he has this catchphrase "we live our dreams" - and even though we sometimes laughingly tell him he must be a bit crazy if these are his dreams, there must be something to it. Because no matter how challenging some days are more than others, together we are truly turning the vision of a modern automotive company into reality.

Do you want to be part of this story? Whether you are interested in working in production, technology or administration, send me a message. I'd be happy to share more details with you and maybe you'll be the main character in a future article. And who knows - you may soon be living your dreams with us.

#NOBOauto #Automotive #Manufacturing #TeamBuilding #DigitalTransformation #CzechRepublic

David Havelec

HR Manager in Nobo Automotive Czech Republic

29 January 2025