“CzechInvest played an important role in Dixons Carphone’s decision-making when selecting a European location for the establishment of a shared-services centre in 2007. Since then, CzechInvest has continued to be a significant partner for us, as it provides us with consulting and advisory services in areas connected with the specifics of doing business in the Czech Republic, knowledge of the business services sector, new possibilities of financial support, labour law and new trends in the area of HR.”

Miroslava Ambrožová
HR & Operations Manager, Dixons Carphone Group

”John Crane in Lutín, near Olomouc, has been building its reputation over the last 25 years and has become the biggest John Crane site in the world with currently over 520 employees. Along with our manufacturing capacity we also operate business services that demonstrate the world class capability of our teams. The company was initially established in 1992 as a joint venture with Sigma Pumps. The choice of Lutín in the heart of Moravia has proven to be successful thanks to its geographical location, sufficient pool of skilled and talented people and being a good entry point for further expansion to Eastern Europe. Since 1996, we are a fully owned John Crane subsidiary and since 1998 we are the headquarters for Eastern Europe. Expansion to the emerging markets in Central and Eastern Europe has been managed from the Czech Republic. The success of John Crane in Lutín then further inspired our sister division, Smiths Medical, to set-up a manufacturing plant in Hranice, in the Olomouc region. The Shared Service Centre in Lutín provides various services to other subsidiaries of the John Crane division as well as other divisions of Smiths Group plc – the global technology group. The HR Service Centre supports all businesses of the Smiths Group in Eastern Europe. The Finance team in Lutín is responsible for financial services in John Crane entities in Central and Eastern Europe. In addition, our team of designers provide drawings for our broad portfolio of John Crane products to customers in Europe and USA. They work in 3D CAD/CAM and participate on R&D projects in the digital modelling of new products, too. Further expansion continues as we are extending our language capabilities, broadening our scope of services and improving the efficiency of our processes. Our success in manufacturing excellence and business services is highly appreciated by our shareholders and is recognized by the further investments that continue to come to the Olomouc region.”
 

Stanislav Hájek
Regional Financial Controller CEE, John Crane, member of Smiths Group

“Our decision to establish a Shared Service Centre in Brno was made back in 2008 at the beginning of the financial and economic crisis. The private equity fund that owned Edwards Group at the time was seeking ways to streamline supporting processes and therefore decided to centralize finance and customer care activities in one location. Brno was selected as the logical choice partially because Edwards already had a service hub operation in Brno and a manufacturing site in the nearby city of Lutín. The strategic location, combined with a university city, a young educated workforce and competitive labour arbitrage made Brno a very attractive option. The transition mainly took place between 2009 and 2011, moving finance processes (Procure to Pay, Cash Collection, Credit Risk, Accounting & Reporting, Indirect Tax, and Business Controlling support) and Customer Care operations (Opportunity, Quotation and Order Entry, Invoicing, Customer Complaints Handling, and Technical Support). Edwards currently has over 90 Finance, 50 Customer Care and 10 other professionals supporting its global operations in Europe and the US from Brno. Edwards Brno Shared Service Centre takes great benefit from the city’s well-educated and diverse workforce and further invests in its employees’ education (such as ACCA). Our people-centric model proved to be very successful in attracting and cultivating talent for the Edwards organization (within shared services and beyond). Our Internal Customer Surveys as well as informal customer feedback provide ample evidence of continuous improvement in Quality of Service provided by Edwards Brno SSC. In 2014, Edwards was acquired by the Atlas Copco Group, which has provided even more opportunities for expanding our current successful SSC model and will add more processes (especially in Finance) in the near future. In summary, Brno provides a great foundation to set up, operate and grow a Finance SSC. We are able to attract and retain the right people, invest in quality training and create opportunities for advancement. We are proud of what we have built and it is working. We are open to new opportunities and expansion!”
 

Roman Pavloušek
Global Finance SSC Manager, Edwards

“Our investments in the Czech Republic over the past 10 years have proven successful, not least because of the skilled and highly educated workforce, and we are looking to further extend and develop our presence in the country.”

David Beavan
Director of Business Development and Strategy, Senior

“Ricardo is very pleased with the investment that we have made in the Czech Republic.
The quality of the education system and the talent that we are able to attract in the Czech Republic has contributed significantly to the overall success of Ricardo.
The continued growth of our operations in the Czech Republic remains a key part of our global strategy. Our successful experience has resulted in a commitment to further growth and investment in the Czech Republic. The combination of high-quality engineering graduates, a flexible workforce, and a convenient location means that Prague is set to be our largest Technical Centre outside of the UK.”
 

Dave Smith
Managing Director, Ricardo Europe