{"id":19158,"date":"2024-04-02T08:30:15","date_gmt":"2024-04-02T06:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/?p=19158"},"modified":"2024-11-12T15:36:48","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T14:36:48","slug":"cto-interview-tomas-smetana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/insights\/cto-interview-tomas-smetana_19158\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cInno\u00adva\u00adtion is the common thread running through my life\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">We\u2019d like to get to know you: What can you tell us about your\u00adself?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m curious, but also very active, and I\u2019m always open to new things. Life\u00adlong learning is just as impor\u00adtant to me as main\u00adtaining a balance between mind and body. I like changes that allow me to look at the world from new angles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull mgznkr-cta-whitepaper-digital-services\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<style>\n.mgznkr-cta-whitepaper-digital-services .alignwide.banner-width {\n  max-width: 100%;\n  width: 1240px;\n  margin: 0 auto;\n--mark-bgcolor: #00a633;\n--mark-color: white;\n}\n@media (max-width: 781px) {\n.mgznkr-cta-whitepaper-digital-services .wp-block-cover .wp-block-cover__image-background {\nobject-position: 17% 50%!important;\n}\n.mgznkr-column-spacer p {display: none; }\n}\n@media (min-width: 782px) {\n.mgznkr-column-spacer p a {\n  min-height: 290px;\n  min-width: 100%;\n  display: block;\n  border-radius: 50px;\nfont-size: 0;\n}\n}\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:32px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\" style=\"min-height:350px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-36224\" alt src=\"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/de\/files\/2024\/11\/Banner-Digital-Services.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#e0e6e6\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignwide banner-width is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:560px\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading mgznkr-click has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2186fc9a9df73db88e84ea7c02be7ab5\" id=\"whitepaper-digital-services-head\" style=\"font-size:1.6em;text-transform:uppercase\"><mark><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebmpapst.com\/de\/en\/campaigns\/industry-campaigns\/digital-services.html#download\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Free INFO PACKAGE<\/a><\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading no-margin-top\" style=\"font-size:1em\">The new age of air tech\u00adnology is here!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Meet the chal\u00adlenges of your industry with Digital Services. Find out more in our info package about how you can take your venti\u00adlation, air handling and refrig\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion systems to a new level \u2013 thanks to <span class=\"noTypo\">digitalization<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill mgznkr-click\" id=\"whitepaper-digital-services\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-background has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ebmpapst.com\/de\/en\/campaigns\/industry-campaigns\/digital-services.html#download\" style=\"background-color:#0072bb;font-size:18px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Benefit from digital solu\u00adtions now <i class=\"mgznkr-icon fa fa-chevron-right fas\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column mgznkr-column-spacer is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:55%\">\n<p class=\"mgznkr-click\" id=\"whitepaper-digital-services-img\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebmpapst.com\/de\/en\/campaigns\/industry-campaigns\/digital-services.html#download\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Free Whitepaper about Digital Services by ebm-papst<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:36px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So changing perspec\u00adtives suits you. What does this look like in a profes\u00adsional context?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve been fasci\u00adnated by tech\u00adnology since I was a child, so I decided to study mechan\u00adical engi\u00adneering and later to work in product devel\u00adop\u00adment, which is all about finding new and better solu\u00adtions. I turned my hobby into a career that I really enjoy each day. I work strate\u00adgi\u00adcally and oper\u00ada\u00adtionally, a balanced mix of product devel\u00adop\u00adment and busi\u00adness, always based on close coop\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion with customers. Regard\u00adless of my posi\u00adtion, I was and continue to be respon\u00adsible for spear\u00adheading inno\u00adva\u00adtion. This is the common thread that runs through my profes\u00adsional life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How much of a \u201cdoer\u201d do you still consider your\u00adself to be? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Obvi\u00adously, I still have a strong passion for inno\u00adva\u00adtion and tech\u00adnology. That won\u2019t change with my role as a manager. However, the focus of my activ\u00adi\u00adties is shifting away from oper\u00ada\u00adtional product devel\u00adop\u00adment and towards defining strategic inno\u00adva\u00adtion and tech\u00adnology goals. For me, what matters is inspiring and devel\u00adoping the creativity of our employees, working with them to find new solu\u00adtions and enabling the teams to success\u00adfully imple\u00adment chal\u00adlenging devel\u00adop\u00adment tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns zitat-mit-bild is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:37%\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/de\/files\/2024\/03\/CTO_Tomas_Smetana_ebm-papst_Philipp_Reinhard_300-300.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-32447\"><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:63%\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"with-quotes\">I would describe myself as a \u201ccreative go-getter. For me, the only kind of inno\u00adva\u00adtion that counts is inno\u00adva\u00adtion that leads to a prof\u00aditable and scal\u00adable busi\u00adness.<\/p>\n<cite>Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tomas Smetana, CTO ebm-papst Group<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What strengths do you bring to your new role as CTO at ebm-papst and which areas do you intend to address?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I bring inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adality and diver\u00adsity. As a native Czech who has lived in Germany for more than 25 years and spent another 7 years in Japan and China, I have been able to see and expe\u00adri\u00adence the world, people and their cultures as well as markets, customers and tech\u00adnolo\u00adgies from different perspec\u00adtives and on many different levels. I natu\u00adrally draw on this expe\u00adri\u00adence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I would describe myself as a \u201ccreative go-getter.\u201d For me, the only kind of inno\u00adva\u00adtion that counts is inno\u00adva\u00adtion that leads to a prof\u00aditable and scal\u00adable busi\u00adness. The ability to generate new ideas together with develop\u00ad\u00adment teams and imple\u00adment them success\u00adfully and consis\u00adtently is some\u00adthing I con-sider to be my strength and an impor\u00adtant task for the company. Finally\u200a\u2013\u200abut also most impor\u00adtantly\u200a\u2013\u200aI always focus on the key stake-holders: our customers! Only through new, inno\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive solu\u00adtions with added value can we inspire them and main\u00adtain our tech\u00adnology lead\u00ader\u00adship in the long term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does tech\u00adnology lead\u00ader\u00adship mean to you?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ulti\u00admately, tech\u00adnology lead\u00ader\u00adship also means market lead\u00ader\u00adship in my view. I can focus completely on customers and the added value we generate for them. Conversely, I don\u2019t need to worry about the compe\u00adti\u00adtion because they can\u2019t offer compa\u00adrable solu\u00adtions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A tech\u00adnology leader can shift or even rede\u00adfine the bound\u00adaries and condi\u00adtions in the estab\u00adlished industry. And lastly, a tech\u00adnology leader always looks ahead. When strag\u00adglers are just starting to adapt, the leader is already setting new stan\u00addards. In the future I still see ebm-papst in the role of a tech\u00adnology leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large text-on-image text-on-image-right\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2024\/03\/ebm-papst_Tomas-Smetana_CTO_Philipp_Reinhard-960x600.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-19161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2024\/03\/ebm-papst_Tomas-Smetana_CTO_Philipp_Reinhard-960x600.jpg 960w, https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2024\/03\/ebm-papst_Tomas-Smetana_CTO_Philipp_Reinhard-660x413.jpg 660w, https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2024\/03\/ebm-papst_Tomas-Smetana_CTO_Philipp_Reinhard-260x163.jpg 260w, https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2024\/03\/ebm-papst_Tomas-Smetana_CTO_Philipp_Reinhard-1536x960.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2024\/03\/ebm-papst_Tomas-Smetana_CTO_Philipp_Reinhard-450x281.jpg 450w, https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2024\/03\/ebm-papst_Tomas-Smetana_CTO_Philipp_Reinhard-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2024\/03\/ebm-papst_Tomas-Smetana_CTO_Philipp_Reinhard.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><mark>\u201cIn the future I still see ebm-papst in the role of a tech\u00adnology leader.\u201d<\/mark><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"like-figcaption alignwide\">(Photo | Philipp Rein\u00adhard)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You\u2019ve been at the company for a few months now. What do you think of ebm-papst? What does the company mean to you?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>From day one, I had a clear sense of ebm-papst\u2019s corpo\u00adrate DNA, which is anchored in the core values of effi\u00adciency, passion, and humanity. Energy-effi\u00adcient fans play a crucial role in venti\u00adlation and heating tech\u00adnology and generate excite\u00adment among our direct customers and, above all, among end customers, who save money as a result. I really notice the humanity in the close cohe\u00adsion within our team and the connec\u00adtion we have with our company. I was welcomed very warmly and I get all the support I need, both in my daily work and in my private life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What strengths and poten\u00adtial can ebm-papst draw on?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>First and fore\u00admost, excel\u00adlent basic exper\u00adtise in aero\u00addy\u00adnamics and aeroa\u00adcoustics. But also in elec\u00adtric drives, including control tech\u00adnology, which are based on in-depth simu\u00adla\u00adtion and exper\u00adi\u00admental knowl\u00adedge and thus enable the devel\u00adop\u00adment of highly effi\u00adcient fans. Other strengths include customer access and customer prox\u00adimity, as well as the ability to effi\u00adciently trans\u00adlate market require\u00adments and customer requests into prod\u00aducts. I see the greatest poten\u00adtial in our talented employees, their creativity and enthu\u00adsiasm!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What role does AI play in this?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For us, AI is a tech\u00adnology with enor\u00admous poten\u00adtial in prod\u00aducts and busi\u00adness processes. I see three areas of appli\u00adca\u00adtion in product devel\u00adop\u00adment: Firstly, as indus\u00adtrial machine learning embedded in the product soft\u00adware, making our prod\u00aducts more intel\u00adli\u00adgent and enabling completely new func\u00adtions for customer control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns zitat-mit-bild is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:37%\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2024\/03\/CTO_Tomas_Smetana_ebm-papst_Philipp_Reinhard_300-300.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-19160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2024\/03\/CTO_Tomas_Smetana_ebm-papst_Philipp_Reinhard_300-300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2024\/03\/CTO_Tomas_Smetana_ebm-papst_Philipp_Reinhard_300-300-260x260.jpg 260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:63%\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"with-quotes\">We will continue to set stan\u00addards in our core busi\u00adness with effi\u00adcient fans. We will incor\u00adpo\u00adrate even more intel\u00adli\u00adgence into our prod\u00aducts<\/p>\n<cite>Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tomas Smetana, CTO ebm-papst Group<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Secondly, for completely new services such as digital product main\u00adte\u00adnance, based on an analysis of cloud data and corre\u00adsponding predic\u00adtions. And finally, in auto\u00admated product devel\u00adop\u00adment, to improve flow opti\u00admiza\u00adtion or mini\u00admize the number of trials required, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading no-clear\">As CTO, you are actively shaping the future of ebm-papst and the industry. Which direc\u00adtion do you think things need to go in, including with regard to the chal\u00adlenges of climate change?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group mgznkr-elements mgznkr-box mgznkr-box-right\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading no-clear\">Our DNA<\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image no-clear\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebmpapst.com\/de\/en\/company\/sustainability.html\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/de\/files\/2024\/03\/ebm-papst_sustainability_footprint_478489196_260-260.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-32555\" style=\"width:220px;height:auto\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>With \u201cEngi\u00adneering a better life\u201d, we express how impor\u00adtant it is to us to imple\u00adment sustain\u00adable and intel\u00adli\u00adgent solu\u00adtions that create a better climate for people, their appli\u00adca\u00adtions and our envi\u00adron\u00adment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebmpapst.com\/de\/en\/company\/sustainability.html\">Our values.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>There will not be a single solu\u00adtion to climate change, but rather a combi\u00adna\u00adtion of many, hetero\u00adge\u00adneous measures. There is too much public discourse about elec\u00adtro\u00admo\u00adbility for motor vehi\u00adcles, but not enough about topics such as regen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtive heating for build\u00adings and indus\u00adtrial process heat. The impor\u00adtance of green hydrogen as an energy storage medium will increase signif\u00adi\u00adcantly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gas combus\u00adtion and gas turbines as a means of coup\u00adling heat and power gener\u00ada\u00adtion will expe\u00adri\u00adence a renais\u00adsance in this context. Another tech\u00adnology that we will not be able to do without in future is decar\u00adboniza\u00adtion. These are all reasons why I want to drive forward the devel\u00adop\u00adment of inno\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive heating and cooling systems and solu\u00adtions for Power-to-X at ebm-papst, in addi\u00adtion to opti\u00admizing our product port\u00adfolio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading no-clear\">What flag\u00adship tech\u00adnolo\u00adgies and prod\u00aducts can customers expect in the short and medium term?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We will continue to set stan\u00addards in our core busi\u00adness with effi\u00adcient fans. This includes aero\u00addy\u00adnam\u00adi\u00adcally and aeroa\u00adcousti\u00adcally opti\u00admized impellers, inno\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive, highly effi\u00adcient elec\u00adtronics, and also effi\u00adciency-opti\u00admized elec\u00adtric motors with high power density. We will also incor\u00adpo\u00adrate even more intel\u00adli\u00adgence into our prod\u00aducts in the future so that oper\u00adating points can be recog\u00adnized and anom\u00adalies detected in good time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks to connec\u00adtivity, our fans can be inte\u00adgrated in the cloud to opti\u00admize energy manage\u00adment, for example. By combining our many years of exper\u00adtise with arti\u00adfi\u00adcial intel\u00adli\u00adgence, we can achieve signif\u00adi\u00adcant gains in effi\u00adciency! When we talk about power density and effi\u00adciency, our oil-free high-speed compres\u00adsors for sustain\u00adable refrig\u00ader\u00adants also repre\u00adsent the absolute pinnacle. In the medium term, I also see major advances in inno\u00adva\u00adtion at the system level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For instance, the current design of the heat pump repre\u00adsents the first gener\u00ada\u00adtion. As we have both a creative devel\u00adop\u00adment team and a great product port\u00adfolio, there will also be another gener\u00ada\u00adtion of heat pumps. We\u2019ll defi\u00adnitely talk about that in one of our next inter\u00adviews!\u2002<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019d like to get to know you: What can you tell us about your\u00adself? I\u2019m curious, but also very active, and I\u2019m always open to new things. Life\u00adlong learning is just as impor\u00adtant to me as main\u00adtaining a balance between mind and body. I like changes that allow me to look at the world from [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-insights"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19158"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19158\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20896,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19158\/revisions\/20896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}