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Industry still employs nearly 40% of people in our country, the highest proportion among European Union states. Automation and robotization are key elements of further development for many companies in various industrial sectors. ICE provides solutions that include not only the design and assembly of automated lines but also their programming and integration into operations. When ICE was founded six years ago, it bet on this trend and now has the largest team of automation programmers in the country. Sixty developers are responsible for designing and reviving machines and lines for customers worldwide. In total, the company employs 120 automation experts, including its own designers, electrical engineers, and installers.
ICE's economic results have been steadily growing since its inception, but 2018 was an exceptional year. The year-on-year increase in turnover and especially profit is record-breaking, and the figures are well above the market standard. ICE ended the year 2018 with a 25% year-on-year growth in turnover, exceeding 200 million crowns. The company's pre-tax profit (EBT) was 26.4 million crowns, double that of 2017 (when the profit was nearly 11 million crowns with a turnover of 150 million).
Tomáš Vránek, the company's executive director and one of its founders, explains this positive growth in economic results: "Last year, we significantly improved the efficiency of our work and project management. Our thinking has always been very close to the agile way of management, but it was only with the introduction of agile methodology principles, which we adapted for our own needs, that our hands were untied. Regular stand-ups, company-wide shared documents with weekly, daily, and monthly tasks are a huge relief from regular administration and incredibly speed up our delivery pace. Agile management also shifts more responsibility from management to every individual involved in the project. Real freedom requires discipline, shared values, and a unified vision. And since we are already in tune with this at ICE, we gave ourselves a Christmas present by abolishing the hierarchical structure. It didn't make sense to us. In a company where everyone can influence strategic decisions and, for example, knows the salaries of their colleagues, classic command-based management doesn't make sense. Over the years, it has been interesting to watch our people grow as our trust in them increased and they simultaneously gained more freedom in decision-making. Gradually, our corporate culture based on personal responsibility began to form. Projects started to run more smoothly, there was less stress, and literally more smiles. Although it was not our primary interest, this change began to be reflected in our financial results, which started to grow even faster than in previous years."
ICE aims to double its number of employees within two years. The total number should exceed 200 by 2021. This year and next, the company plans to hire approximately forty people each year. It will recruit programmers, installers, and designers of automated machines. A significant advantage is that it can employ capable people from anywhere, not just in the Czech Republic. Currently, it has nine branches (Prague, Brno, Žďár nad Sázavou, Plzeň, Pardubice, Turnov, Ostrava, Hranice, Karlovy Vary), but a branch can be established by anyone, anywhere. "If two people in Liberec decide and agree to set up their own branch and take care of everything, it ultimately pays off for ICE. Not only will these two employees not have to commute to Prague, but their satisfaction will bring more satisfied customers and team members. After all, most of our branches were created on the initiative of my colleagues. Our daily work is set up so that everyone can join regular short meetings from anywhere, and we all have access to data and documents – all we need is an internet connection," adds Tomáš Vránek.
At a press conference held on April 30th in Prague, Tomáš Vránek introduced journalists to the history of the company, which grew up in the industrial region of Žďár nad Sázavou, and acquainted them with key customers from the automotive industry, engineering, metallurgy, and other sectors (among the customers Tomáš Vránek is particularly proud of, for example, the car manufacturer Scania). In addition to almost obligatory components of such events, such as the introduction of virtual reality or a robotic barista, the company also boasted a newly completed machine for quality control of production for a customer in the automotive industry, and a pleasant addition was the outdoor barbecue prepared by the company's employees.
Tomáš Vránek, CEO of ICE, Presents the Company and Its Economic Results
The original article can be found here
