ŠKODA has more than quadrupled its unit sales since joining the Volkswagen Group in 1991. This was the start of a new era in Mladá Boleslav, ŠKODA’s traditional headquarters in the Czech Republic. What do employees remember? What do they associate with the company today, whose success they have helped to shape over the last two decades? And, above all, what do they think of the brand’s ambitious growth plans to increase global sales from approximately 880,000 vehicles today to at least 1.5 million by 2018? Four people tell of their experiences working for ŠKODA.
Auto mechanic VLADIMÍR CHMELÍK is 57 and has been with ŠKODA for 39 years. His son also works for the company. “I grew up under socialism. After it ended, my work at ŠKODA helped me to understand the world better. 20 years ago, no one dared even think that ŠKODA would become the number one in Eastern Europe and grow so quickly worldwide. Volkswagen has believed in us and supported us all these years. We want to achieve a lot for our brand and today, we work harder than ever before. It feels like this is just the beginning.”
LUBOMÍR ANTOŠ, head of technical projects, is 59 and has been with ŠKODA for 35 years. His wife and daughter also work here. “It makes me proud to see how many people work at Mladá Boleslav today and where ŠKODA stands in markets like China and India. We are passionate about ŠKODA’s many new models and segments. Our Czech and German engineers combine attention to detail with the desire to build the perfect car. This aspiration and this expertise are our two greatest strengths.”
