VALUE ENGINEERING CAN INFLUENCE THE FUTURE
Our goal is to be innovative and find new approaches, says Polina Pech, Value Engineering Specialist
As much value as possible with as little costs as possible. The task of Value Engineering experts is not just to optimise the manufacturing costs, but also to continuously search for ways to improve the product quality. At Škoda Auto, there is a dynamic team dedicated to these matters, which features experts from the Czech Republic as well as from Brazil or Russia, for example. How does the largest domestic company approach Value Engineering? Polina Pech, Iva Moravčíková, Giovanni Fragelli and Karel Grůša share their insight and their stories.
A method which aims to reduce the costs in the early stages of a project, to search for new technical solutions and to increase the added value for the customer. That is one way to define Value Engineering. Experts in this field are searching for new technical solutions and opportunities to cut expenses. However, no change should ever lead to a decline in quality, expected functionality or values important to the customer under the pretext of an increased efficiency.
“When we defend our recommendation for improvement and proceed with its implementation, it is fulfilling. It is a great feeling, knowing that we can influence the future,” says Polina Pech, who works as a project manager for Value Engineering at Škoda Auto. She is surrounded by an international team, which is also one of the youngest and most diverse teams in the company. There are experts from Columbia, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, England, France, Austria, Russia and India, among others. “This diversity of our team brings various experiences, ideas and perspectives. Our task is not to do things the usual way, but rather to be innovative, look for new approaches and think out of the box,” Polina explains.
What countries do the members of the Škoda Auto Value Engineering team come from?
“Curiosity and the desire to broaden one’s horizons”
Polina Pech is from Russia, but she left to study abroad in the USA when she was 16 years old. She then decided to pursue her university education in Europe, she perfected her German knowledge at a university in Vienna, where she also worked for a non-profit organisation. Today, Polina can speak Russian, English, German, French, Spanish and Czech. “I love to travel. Any foreign experience, be it personal or work-related, is a great adventure for me,” Polina relates. In 2007, she began working at the Volkswagen plant in Kaluga and after two years, she completed the Volkswagen Group’s professional development programme and secured a position at Škoda Auto. “The reason I chose the Volkswagen Group is that it is an international company which offers the opportunity to travel and use foreign languages,” explains the Russian professional, who has been working in the automotive industry for the past two decades.
During her job interview, Polina Pech mentioned that she would like to travel all around the world and visit as many of the company’s plants as possible. So far, she has visited Pune, India and the German cities of Ingolstadt, Stuttgart and Munich. Currently, she is planning a business trip to São Paulo, Brazil. In her professional life, she has always been involved in purchasing and she has already worked in three different departments within the Volkswagen Group. “I am driven by curiosity and the desire to broaden my horizons,” says Polina and adds: “I enjoy the analysis phase the most, when we are researching and investigating what the competition is doing. We often come across very interesting findings.”
Polina’s role in the Value Engineering team is to collect and centralise information obtained from her colleagues. Hence, she pays great attention to fostering good relations with all of them, so that their cooperation does not only bring the desired results, but also joy. Right now, her job’s focus is the new platform which should be produced mainly in Brazil and India in about six years. “Currently, we are conducting the analysis of the competition’s cars on these markets. We are communicating with the suppliers locally, so that our new car is tailored to the needs of each of the specific regions as much as possible.”
“Monitoring new technologies and trends”
It wasn’t until he was 21 years old that Giovanni Fragelli became aware of the existence of Škoda Auto. That’s because he is from Brazil, where the brand wasn’t represented. When he moved to France, he began noticing the unusual logo on cars that appealed to him because of their design, which he viewed as luxurious. “A few years later, I became friends with a couple of Czechs and I began learning more about the fame this brand holds in Europe. At that moment, I was certain that I want to have a try at joining Škoda Auto,” Giovanni recalls. In retrospect, he views this decision as one of the best of his entire life.
Before Giovanni settled down in the Czech Republic, he has lived and worked in Brazil, France and Canada. He thus had the chance to experience life in three different countries on three different continents. “I would say that learning about all the different cultures greatly helped me grow personally and professionally. I now always look at things from a different perspective, which is quite helpful in my current position,” says the Brazilian. It was the various foreign experiences which helped him gain the courage for great life adventures. The greatest one led him all the way to Mladá Boleslav, where Giovanni embarked on a new career path without knowing any Czech.
As an expert on Value Engineering, he researches different alternatives in the area of material, production, technology and business strategy, which can help reduce costs of a part while ensuring that the basic functionality requirements are met or increase the functionality or value without any additional expenses. What projects is Giovanni currently participating in? “Right now, I am one of the project coordinators representing Value Engineering in the development of the new global platform MQB27 and I am also involved in the optimisation project focusing on topics related to car bodywork.” What he finds fulfilling in this field is mainly the opportunity for developing his technical and business knowledge and supporting the company in cost optimisation. However, the scope of Value Engineering’s activities is much broader than the well-travelled Škoda Auto employee imagined in the beginning. “We have to constantly monitor new technologies and trends on the market, but also maintain critical thinking. Only then are we able to identify new ways to better results,” Giovanni Fragelli concludes.
“Interesting, technical and creative all at the same time”
Iva Moravčíková has been working in the automotive industry for over 25 years. However, she is a completely newbie at Škoda Auto, as she only joined the company in April of this year. “After many years of working in a production plant, I needed to make a change in my professional life,” explains the mother of two. Still, she never grew tired of the automotive environment and a series of coincidences then led her to Škoda. “All my efforts for finding my dream job outside of my current industry which would also fulfil me and allow me to balance work and family life led me to the largest company around,” says the experienced automotive professional with a smile.
After several job interviews, the extroverted engineer received a direct offer to Value Engineering, which she accepted and thus decided to embark on a whole new chapter. Until then, she worked as a quality engineer for one of the global suppliers, where she was in charge of everything related to quality and project management. Throughout her career, she has worked with people from all around the world, ranging from Mexico and the USA across Europe and Russia all the way to Taiwan and China. Today, her main focus at Škoda Auto is analysing investments in production tools, such as injection moulds and press tools. “I find it surprisingly interesting, complex, technical and creative all at the same time. I work with many programmes, some of which are really sophisticated and I am still only learning to fully understand them. I don’t mind working with documents, either; I like to keep all such things neat and tidy,” says Iva. Although she is currently going through a significant change and starting from scratch in many ways, she views her job in the field of Value Engineering as a great and inspiring challenge.
What she enjoys about her new position is also her team and the friendly working environment. According to Iva, it is so much nicer to be working in a casual work environment where humour is always welcome. Besides specific projects, she currently considers her main tasks to be self-education and self-improvement in her new profession. “I am trying to be a team player and to be responsible for the tasks assigned to me at the same time and constantly work on improving myself. I also like talking to people; sometimes a bit too much, apparently,” Iva laughs.
A Volleyball Tournament, Bowling and Canoeing
The experts on Value Engineering at Škoda Auto put a particular emphasis on teamwork. Cooperation and mutual assistance are among the values which Polina Pech cherishes not only in her professional, but also personal life. She fosters her relationships with her colleagues outside of the office through volleyball and football. “Teambuilding is always a guarantee of a good time for us,” Polina adds. Last year as well as this year, the Value Engineering team participated in many sports and social activities. Karel Grůša has fond memories of bowling and canoeing, for example. “Each teambuilding activity is important for bringing the team together and maintaining a positive work attitude within the team,” Karel affirms. Giovanni Fragelli also enjoyed the canoeing trip in the vicinity of the village of Malá Skála and it was also his first experience with such activity in the Czech Republic. “I found it very amusing and interesting that even the rivers have no shortage of places to stop for a quick beer. Now I know why the Czech Republic officially has the highest beer consumption per capita in the whole world,” Giovanni laughs. By the end of 2022, the team would like to organise at least one more major teambuilding activity with an overnight stay. Another specialist, Iva Moravčíková, is also very fond of such events. “We are also going to have a joint workshop soon and I am very excited. I love participating in such events as they bring the people in the team closer and loosen up the atmosphere.”
“A technical concept and a search for cost savings”
Karel Grůša is among the youngest members of the team. The Value Engineering Specialist got his first full-time job after graduating from the Faculty of Economics at the Technical University of Liberec. He first worked at Škoda Auto as a trainee in 2018 and about one year later, he got a full-time job offer, which he eagerly accepted. “The main reason why I joined Škoda Auto is that it is a successful international company with a stable foundation, which offers its employees a wide range of expertise and opportunities for career and personal growth,” Karel reflects. He sees the main benefit in the diversity offered by his current position. His main focus are plastics, including the process of their injection moulding, chrome plating and painting.
The Value Engineering team also gives him the chance to be involved in a number of other projects. “What fulfils me about this job is the opportunity to participate in creating the technical concept of individual parts, searching for possible cost savings and the opportunity to educate myself in areas beyond my current expertise,” Karel Grůša affirms. For example, he is working on projects related to the so-called benchmark, i.e., comparing Škoda Auto vehicles with those of competitors. The benchmark is one of the main tools in the field of Value Engineering. “Right now, my colleagues and I are finishing up our work on bumpers for two new projects. In the near future, I will start working on the upcoming inquiries for headlights,” recaps the young professional, who came to Mladá Boleslav from the University of Liberec. Due to the technical aspect of working in Value Engineering, teamwork is especially important for Karel and his colleagues. “Our team holds routine meetings, where we introduce new process procedures as well as some lesser-known or completely new technologies,” says Karel Grůša.
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