Interview with the New Director of AJ Technology Zbyněk Okáč

Since March, Gatema Holding has grown by a new company (we wrote about this acquisition here). AJ Technology from Brno, which has been in the electronics and electrical engineering business for over 30 years, has joined the family. Thanks to this acquisition, Gatema Holding expands the portfolio of services offered in the production of printed circuit boards, where two subsidiaries have been operating so far – Gatema PCB a.s. in Boskovice and Kubatronik Leiterplatten GmbH in Geislingen, Germany. The services offered by the holding company in this field will be expanded to include the design, installation and revival of electronic assemblies.

Read the interview with the new director of AJ Technology Zbyněk Okáč.

What position did you start in at Gatema Holding?
I originally applied to Gativa (former name was Gatema IT) as a consultant. After several years in management positions and my last work experience, I was exhausted and planning a little break. I enjoyed information systems and had user experience in manufacturing and logistics. So I thought a consultant might be right for me.
But during the initial round of interviews, the HR representative contacted me the following week saying she would like to offer me something different.

So the planned break didn’t happen?
Exactly. I joined Gatema Holding as an acquisition manager. About ten months before the actual acquisition of AJ Technology and my appointment as director, so I participated in the preparation of the acquisition itself, due diligence, and so on.

You said you had several jobs, so you have a comparison. Did anything surprise you at Gatema Holding?
Definitely the pleasant atmosphere. Throughout the entire holding. I think that the good mood and atmosphere is transferred from the owner,
Mr. Vlk, and spreads across the entire company. It seems to me that the values of the entire holding are built on the personal values that he stands for. I haven’t encountered any behind-the-scenes games or gossip here. Which I like. Not all of my previous experiences were like that. And that makes it all the more pleasant here.

Overall, the atmosphere very pleasantly surprised me. Although I don’t know if I should say surprised. Because when I mentioned to someone that I would be joining Gatema Holding, everyone said it was a great company with excellent corporate culture and atmosphere. I think Gatema Holding has a good reputation in the wider area. Also thanks to the fact that it takes good care of its people.

And did anything surprise you at AJ Technology?
No, it didn’t surprise me. I was honestly looking forward to coming here.
I have an electrical engineering education and my first two work experiences were in the electrical field. But as I wanted to grow professionally, I moved from electrical to mechanical engineering. And now I’m returning back to electrical, I feel close to it. On the contrary, in mechanical engineering I had to learn a lot and catch information on the go. Here I feel comfortable.

So you’re returning to the field you studied?
Yes, exactly. I studied microelectronics, where we had a choice of two directions – manufacturing technologies or electronic circuit design. There I even had to promise during one exam that I wouldn’t make a living from this (laughter) and I chose manufacturing technologies. They really interested me, I was good at them. And in my first two jobs after university, I dealt with exactly this. About ten years.

And I still enjoy it. In the five or six years I was outside the field, not that many things changed. Of course, there’s still more miniaturization and so on, but the principles are still the same.

What does a typical AJ Technology customer look like?
AJ Technology operates within series that are more prototype and small-series production. We do a lot of work for microscope manufacturers, for railway control systems, or manufacturers of laboratory measuring instruments. In these fields, thousands of products are really not churned out.

How many employees are there at AJ Technology now?
Including me, there are currently 15 permanent employees plus two external contractors.

What are the further plans for AJ Technology?
The main task that lies ahead of us now is to integrate AJ Technology into the holding structure using all the synergies that are available. Within the holding, there are already two companies that manufacture printed circuit boards. Which are Gatema PCB in Boskovice and Kubatronik in Germany. Cooperation with them naturally presents itself. Ideally, we would use their services and they would use ours.
Another big plan is to penetrate with AJ Technology into new industries where we don’t currently operate. We will discuss with the holding’s ISO director regarding certifications so that we meet everything that will be needed for that.

What do you do when you’re not at work? How do you relax?
My wife and I have a seven-year-old daughter, so I try to dedicate my free time primarily to family.
Otherwise, I like to go exercise, it’s been my big hobby for 25 years. I have a personal trainer who is also my long-time friend. For me, the gym is perfect for clearing my head. Some people go to the pub, some go fishing, some climb mountains, I exercise. And it bears fruit, in the last three years I managed to lose over 20 kilos.
Another hobby – perhaps not entirely typical – is rum. I’m a member of a rum club, where there are about 50 of us, we meet in person at least twice a year to taste, talk about new products. We also regularly meet for guided online tastings.