Interview: The German has been doing business in Czechia for more than 25 years

Michal Krüsselin came to the Czech Republic for the first time in 1991. A graduate of industrial engineering, he negotiated a trade for his parent German company in Zlín, where the Baťa siblings founded the World Shoe Empire in 1894. The environment, the people, the enthusiasm for the change of regime, and especially the great business opportunities in former Czechoslovakia impressed him so much that he decided to settle in Zlín to establish his own business company. Over the years, the small company has grown into a company trading both with the Czech Republic and abroad. He gradually founded another company and started production.

How did you get into engineering – when did the first idea that you would do business in this field come about?

During my professional career, after graduating from metalworking school, I first completed an apprenticeship as a car mechanic. Immediately afterward, I was drafted into military service and had to do various administrative tasks there. This gave rise to the idea of ​​combining these two things, after which I did an apprenticeship as an industrial clerk. To further deepen my knowledge, I then studied business administration. After completing my studies, I was lucky enough to get a job in a mechanical engineering company where I was able to fulfill various tasks in the areas of procurement, logistics, and production.

One of my tasks was to help in CZ in the early 1990s with the establishment of container production. Then also the relocation of certain production parts in the mechanical engineering area. During this activity, I was approached by various companies as to whether I could also carry out these activities for them. So the idea was born back then and has led us to the success we have today.

What companies do you have now and what can they do?

We are running different companies. Most important at the moment is of course Parabel. For two years we have been expanding production in our company METAKO. Our goal is to create additional capacities in the steel and mechanical engineering sector because, on the one hand, the demand is constantly increasing, but the delivery times should be shorter and shorter. We can burn, bend, weld, turn, mill, drill, and paint various workpieces in a relatively short time. We are very satisfied with the development of both companies. If you want to know more about it, look at www.parabel.cz and www.metako.cz.

You are German, but you live in the Czech Republic. Why did you decide to start a business in the Czech Republic?

I already addressed that in a previous question. I originally came to CZ for my employer at the time. It became clear to me relatively quickly that the situation at the time offered good opportunities that are still available today under changed conditions.

Do you also trade abroad – with which countries?

We do business on all continents. Due to the geographic proximity, we are mainly concentrated on our neighboring countries.

You built your business more than 25 years ago and it’s still growing. What has been the hardest thing for you during that time?

There will always be ups and downs. The current situation with Corona and now the war in Ukraine doesn’t make everything easier, but that’s the challenge we always face. We have to find a solution in every situation. But to answer your question specifically, the biggest challenge was deciding in favor of self-employment, since the responsibility increases with every additional employee. The risk cannot be foreseen, even if one always approaches the matter with optimism.

What makes your businesses unique?

We want to offer our partners solutions. The products are not always mature, and the right production partner can often not be found. That’s where our strength lies, we often take care of the unusual things. This is what we are known for and why our customers keep coming back to us and recommending us to others.

What is your success?

Our success lies in our good, motivated employees. We are constantly working to improve our knowledge and skills, which we have been able to do well in recent years.

You can read the original version of the interview here:

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