Development of new technologies, improvement of existing ones and their real application on the market. The Technical Development Division brings together a number of experts and has all the prerequisites for achieving these goals. In addition, Director Petr Ding focuses heavily on maximizing the potential of qualified employees under his leadership.
How do you perceive your division’s position within the company and what are the expectations for it?
We operate in a market which is still accelerating. Not only do we need to keep up with it, but it’s also vital to create new opportunities and directions to take in the field of technologies. Our division is here to keep our technology at the highest level.
Altron is the Czech market leader and is thus expected to set the direction. This vision has resonated with us for a long time, and we have finally reached a stage where we can fully devote ourselves to it. And so this year, we launched the Technological Development Division (DTR), which can transform these visions into real solutions. We have the necessary know-how, a functioning business team and maximum economic stability, which enables us to develop individual technologies and bring them to market in real projects.
Our department brings together employees with expert know-how for the development of new technologies, as the name of the division already implies. We have a lot of new ideas ready, many of them already in motion. These ideas correspond to what Altron wants to do, where it wants to go and push products within its field.
What does such a connection of know-how and business look like in reality?
The products that we develop are linked to specific business opportunities. This means that throughout the development preparation phase, we communicate with our customers about their needs and expectations. We do this very well and the whole process works efficiently. And so technologies with immediate application in real projects are created.
This is a sign of a healthy company looking to the future. Obviously, it is not only about means and opportunities, but also about people who want to move individual ideas forward and, of course, also about a perfectly executed implementation. The application of our technologies in real projects is going very well.
You talk about being able to develop technologies with immediate application in real projects. Can you elaborate on any of them?
We are currently working hard on the development of cooling at the Nagoya data center which we are building for Seznam. This type of cooling will be unique and at this time, you won’t find it anywhere in the Czech Republic.
To make sure we’re on the right track, we’ve built a scaled-down prototype that’s been live for over a year and has helped us optimize the device and eliminate risks. Several hundred thousand m3 of air per hour will flow through the cooling system. This is a huge facility by the standards of the Czech Republic.
Heat transfer is managed using an air-conditioning system integrated into the building structure. The technology uses only fans and water evaporation for its operation without compressor cooling. In this way, we will achieve an exceptionally low consumption of electricity, which is crucial in the construction of data centers these days.
Customer trust can only be built on specific things, and we have managed to establish above-standard relationships with Seznam. We completed the construction of the Kokura data center in 2014. Kokura will be renovated this year in parallel with the construction of the new Nagoya center. Thanks to that, our hands are free and the result will be excellent.
Let’s get back to the issue of employees. The IT industry is usually troubled by high turnover of experts.
Yes, that’s right. The turnover of people in the IT fields is something to be reckoned with. It is up to us to create an environment that minimizes these impacts in order to preserve the stability of the company as well as continuous development. The company’s performance is dependent on the performance of its employees. Being a market leader does not happen by itself. It is the merit of specific things and specific people. We must try to retain these employees in the long term and offer them an environment where they feel supported. They are experts, and there are not many of them in our country.
Do you have methods to motivate your colleagues and build a healthy working relationship?
We have recently been successful in recruiting new people who are actively interested in participating in the further development of our division and are motivated to work. And by that I don’t just mean motivation in the form of money or benefits. The important thing is to create a good environment and allow the employees to develop products that they enjoy and believe in.
Moreover, the experts in our division are strong individuals. It is necessary to identify their strengths and prepare an environment for them in which they will feel the best. Some need to work on things physically, they need to touch the products with their hands, while others gravitate towards virtual solutions. We try to create an environment for everyone that suits them best, so that they can realize their visions.