
14 Nov 2025
Fanta Hall
14 Nov 2025
Fanta Hall
Industrial manufacturing is undergoing a fundamental transformation. The pressure for efficiency, sustainability, and resilience is forcing companies to rethink their processes and seek a competitive advantage in technology. However, success in the digital era isn’t just about deploying new tools, but about a comprehensive strategy that connects people, data, and machines.
Therefore, the conference’s key themes focus on strategies for the effective use of AI, data analytics, automation, and the integration of smart devices. Equal emphasis is placed on addressing the biggest challenges: securely connecting IT and operational (OT) systems, bridging the digital skills gap, and managing change within the corporate culture.
Petr Novak graduated from university in Pennsylvania in International Business and Finance, he also has an MBA from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. He has been working for JTEKT Bearings Czech Republic since 2001 responsible for finance, later for logistics, manufacturing, from 2008 he became Plant Manager.
In 2012, he took position of company President. In 2018 he took an international assignment as General Manager of Global Acceleration Team at JTEKT’s headquarters in Nagoya, Japan. In 2020 he accepted a position as Director Corporate Planning at JTEKT European headquarters in Lyon, France and in 2021 he was nominated as Director of Automotive Operations for JTEKT Europe responsible for nine manufacturing plants in EMEA region.
In 2024 he was promoted to his current position as Chief Operating Officer JTEKT Central Europe with P&L and all functional responsibility for operations in UK, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic and Romania. He is a member of the Board of Directors of The Automotive Industry Association of the Czech Republic and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce in Olomouc.
Marek has been with Hill’s Pet Nutrition Manufacturing since 2007. At the production plant in Hustopeče, he is responsible for integration, administration, technical expertise, cybersecurity, troubleshooting, and maintenance of manufacturing electrical, automation, control, and IT systems. He introduced AVEVA automation software, virtualization, and client workstation management at the plant. He has also contributed to the development and implementation of the plant’s automation strategy, Smart Factory initiatives, digitalization, and sustainability efforts.
Edwin Haschka works as a Presales Consultant and Solution Architect focused on the digitalization of manufacturing companies. Over the course of his five-year career, he has contributed to a wide range of successful implementations of the Helios system, combining his technical expertise with a deep understanding of the needs of manufacturing businesses.
Tomáš is an experienced project and business manager with deep expertise in emerging trends, particularly within the energy, telemetry, healthcare, security, and automotive sectors. Since joining Vodafone Czech Republic in 2020, he has been driving innovation in 5G mobile private networks. A graduate in Management from the University of Economics, Tomáš has over 15 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. He is recognized for his strategic approach to strengthening customer relationships, fostering collaborative projects, and delivering forward-thinking solutions.
Ing. Jiří Bavor is Head of Manufacturing for Central and Eastern Europe at Eviden Czech Republic s.r.o. In his career, Jiří has worked in the fields of information technology, manufacturing automatization, financial management and management both in the Czech Republic and abroad, and enjoys connecting and combining these areas. Although Jiří has an educational background as a cybernetic engineer, he is very aware that managing a company is not so much about technology, but more about people and their visions, and the ability to communicate and enforce those visions. If a company has the right vision and strategy, and most importantly the right people who believe in that vision and are willing to enforce it, then the right use of technology can help them; but the reverse is not true – technology without vision will not help a company. It is always important to know WHY and WHO.
He graduated from the University of Economics in Prague with a focus on Information Systems and has spent his entire professional career at the intersection of business and IT. He strives to identify and design efficient software solutions with high added value for clients in industrial sectors. For the past three years, he has specialized in the IFS ERP system, which ranks among the leading comprehensive IT solutions for manufacturing companies.
Vladimír Bartoš graduated from the CTU, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and in 1992 joined Minerva ČR, where he still has been working.
He started as a consultant for manufacturing companies and gradually specialized in the optimization of business processes in the areas of sales, purchasing, storage, planning and management of production and quality. He became Director of Sales Support and now is Director of Strategy in Minerva.
He participates in initial analyzes of the state of the company, finding bottlenecks, suggesting ways to eliminate them. It conducts training for top managers of manufacturing companies focused on modern management principles. He lectures at professional seminars and conferences with the aim of improving the efficiency of our businesses. He monitors IT development and company process management and determines Minerva’s product strategy, including new services to support Czech and Slovak manufacturing companies.
Furthermore, since 1998, he has been involved in teaching students of University of Economics in Prague and Czech Technical University in Prague. He is responsible for the introduction lecture of course “Integrated Management of the manufacturing company”.
TechTower is one of the most modern technology parks in the Czech Republic, offering facilities and office spaces for innovative companies, tech enthusiasts, programmers, and aspiring entrepreneurs. It provides coworking areas, a multifunctional hall, a unique water testing tank, a cafeteria, the SeedUp Space, and last but not least, a prototyping workshop where ideas are brought to life.
Koterovská 152, Plzeň 2-Slovany
The complex is a modern revitalization of the former Světovar Brewery, located in the Slovany district on the southern edge of Pilsen.