A QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE AND DEVELOPMENT
WHEN RASTISLAV VELES, RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER AT TERVAKOSKI FILM, DECIDED TO MOVE BACK TO SLOVAKIA, THERE WAS NO QUESTION ABOUT WHERE TO GO. HIS DESTINATION WAS THE HIGH TATRAS MOUNTAINS, CONSIDERED BY HIMSELF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE ON EARTH. AND AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, HIS DREAM JOB APPEARED WITHIN A STONE’S THROW FROM HIS NEW HOME.
During his childhood, Rastislav Veles spent a lot of time at his grandfather’s cottage in the Slovak Ore Mountains. Together, they explored the countryside which led to a life-long passion for nature. Besides being Rastislav’s grandfather, Pavol Veles was also a professor of mechanical engineering – a very practical and enthusiastic one – and he knew exactly how to get his grandson interested in engineering. “He also kept watch over me when I was studying in Bratislava,” laughs Rastislav. “He didn’t want to risk me straying off course. And I’m grateful for that. Because of him, I have it in my bones that I’m never done learning.”
After graduating as an electrical engineer from Bratislava University, Rastislav went on to work in several large companies in Germany, the USA and Ireland. During his years abroad, Rastislav gained valuable experience within R&D and technical services. He also further developed his team-building skills, which he still benefits from to this day.
When returning to Slovakia, Rastislav had two goals in mind. Number one was to find a place to call home in the mountains. Number two was to find a job. “I know that people usually do this the other way around, but I felt that if I had a chance to live at a 1000 m altitude in the High Tatras Mountains, which I consider to be heaven on earth, I must take it,” Rastislav explains with a smile. “And apparently this was meant to be. Just after I found my home, my dream job at Tervakoski Film materialised only 15 minutes away. I consider myself to be a very lucky guy.”
A NEVER-ENDING LEARNING JOURNEY
Rastislav joined Tervakoski Film in 2011, which was a rather hectic period for the company, as the facilities, including the R&D laboratories, were being moved from Finland to Svit, Slovakia. It was Rastislav’s responsibility to create the main testing facilities and ensure they were ready for future capacitor film production. He is proud of what the team accomplished. “What we have is rather unique and it’s all thanks to our fantastic teamwork; without my R&D colleagues, this would not have been possible. Our laboratory facilities are highly advanced small-scale versions of our customers’ huge testing facilities. This means that we can truly understand our customers’ capacitor testing issues, which allows me to provide confident customer service when I visit our clients,” explains Rastislav, who is one of Tervakoski Film’s main interfaces towards their customers.
Rastislav is immensely grateful to his late grandfather, who introduced him to both an active outdoor life as well as engineering.
In the laboratory facilities at Svit, Rastislav and his team are able to test basically any capacitor application from cruel -50°C conditions to extremely high-temperatures above 140°C. The test methods used by the team are continuously improved and updated to suit the actual needs of the clients.
The R&D team is capable of testing basically any capacitor application from cruel -50°C conditions to extremely high-temperatures above 140°C.
The latest activities include designs for the automotive market and its very specific requirements for quality systems. Rastislav already started implementing the new processes at Tervakoski Film four years ago to accommodate these requirements. “The area is no doubt challenging. But nothing can beat the feeling when we receive feedback from the market saying that our ultra-thin films are top ranked,” explains Rastislav.
COLLABORATING WITH COLLEAGUES AND CUSTOMERS
“On an average day, we spend more time at work than at home. For me, the relationship with my colleagues is therefore significant. It’s quite simple really – if we get on well together, we work better – and we feel better. Just as in team sports,” explains Rastislav who played basketball on the national level as a student. During his basketball career, Rastislav learnt the true sense of what teamwork really means. “I feel fortunate to have such a brilliant team around me,” says Rastislav. He points out that cooperation with his ‘home’ team in Svit runs just as smoothly as with the colleagues in the sister company almost 600 km away in Lutsk, Ukraine. “This really shows how successful Tervakoski Film has been in getting the work culture incorporated at all levels and in several destinations. Treating both each other and our customers with trust and respect is our way of building long-lasting relationships,” Rastislav explains. “It’s all about our daily professional approach, efficient communication and an ability to find the compromises when necessary. In that way, we can find the best solutions for our customers. And we can all leave work with a great feeling in the evening.” Periodically, this means long hours, but on Fridays, the team tries to leave the office earlier whenever possible.
HEALTHY WORK-LIFE BALANCE
“I believe that it’s important for everyone to have the opportunity to wind down and do something completely different in the evenings, and especially during the weekends. If I have had an active weekend outside, then I am more efficient and can handle stress much better when back at the office on Monday,” Rastislav says. For himself, this means hiking in the summer and ski alp training in the winter. In ski alp, you first walk up the mountain wearing your skis, which means a lot of hard work. The feeling when you have made the climb, however, is all the more rewarding. “Just as we remind ourselves in R&D; the greatest things don’t come easily,” Rastislav concludes with a smile.
Rastislav Veles considers himself lucky having found both a home and his dream job in the most beautiful place he knows.