In mid-November, we welcomed the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, Robert Fico, to Železiarne Podbrezová as part of his regional working visits. After a morning stop at the Tatravagónka plant in Poprad, he headed directly to us in Podbrezová.
Tour of the production directly in the tube drawing mill
The visit began in our new facility – specifically in the tube drawing plant. Members of our board guided the Prime Minister through the entire production line and introduced each stage of the process. During the tour, the Prime Minister stopped to greet our employees, exchanged a few words with each of them, and expressed appreciation for their work. Although our teams are accustomed to visitors in production, the presence of the Prime Minister was a pleasant surprise for everyone.
Meeting with the management of ŽP a.s.
After the production tour, the Prime Minister moved to the administrative building, where he was welcomed by the Chairman of the Board and CEO of ŽP a.s., Vladimír Soták. Together with company representatives, they discussed the current situation in Slovak industry, next year’s pro-growth measures, and topics directly affecting the operation of manufacturing companies in Slovakia.
Following the meeting, the Prime Minister praised not only the importance of our company for regional employment but also the quality of leadership and the expertise of our colleagues at ŽP a.s.:
“I enjoy visiting Podbrezová because I meet wise people here. The company’s management, and especially Vladimír Soták, are people who truly understand what real life is about. Every month they must secure a tremendous amount of money for wages, production, and the entire operation of the plant.”
A basket full of good ideas
According to Robert Fico, regular communication with regions is one of the government’s priorities:
“We cannot run the country from Bratislava. It is necessary to go among the people, understand their problems personally, and listen to proposals from those who create real value.”
In Železiarne Podbrezová, he found not only constructive criticism but also numerous concrete suggestions and solutions that can help Slovak industry:
“I am leaving with a basket full of good ideas. We agreed to meet again by the end of the year.”
We are pleased that we could present our work directly where it happens – in production. We believe that personal visits and open dialogue will contribute to shaping a stable environment for Slovak industry.
Article written by: Podbrezovan
