As a multinational company, it is very important for us to remain a family and people-oriented organization. We employ 400-500 people at our Kecskemét site. We are interviewing our employees to give you a better insight into our company and the atmosphere in which they work. The following interview was conducted with László Borbás, domestic sales manager of Autóflex-KNOTT, here you are.
How long have you been part of the Autóflex-KNOTT Ltd team?
L.B.: Since 1 January 2022.
Is this your first job? If not, how did you start your career?
L.B.: I started as a domestic sales team leader. I came from within the industry, with 20 years of professional experience.
What are your personal motivations?
L.B.: I am motivated by the fact that Autóflex-KNOTT is a large multinational company, which is also a family business and is largely Hungarian-owned. Professionally, it’s a step forward for me because the company I came from has a much smaller unit in Hungary. As a salesperson, you can see directly into the production. The work is more exciting, more varied. With that comes greater responsibility, of course. At the same time, it is a great virtue that we produce serious products that are known and respected worldwide.
There is a kind of perfectionism, a high standard in me. If we do something, let’s do it right, let’s make it work well, not just spend time doing it.
What do you consider your greatest success at the company?
L.B.: We have made significant progress in optimizing our processes. The warehouse, data management, record keeping, the whole administration is much more organized. This has helped to make our department more efficient. Fortunately, colleagues were also open to change and now see the benefits. This allows them to work in a less stressful environment and to be more motivated.
What do you consider the biggest challenge in your work?
L.B.: The peculiarity of a large organization is that it changes more slowly than I would like, but it also has a number of advantages, because it is not as exposed to the ups and downs of the market. Like an elephant, it moves forward and always reaches its destination.
We have 11 people in our department. We have a lot of functions to perform, and one person has a lot more responsibilities. You need to be multifunctional. It’s sometimes challenging, but the beauty of it is that we have a great variety of tasks.
Why do you like working at Autóflex-KNOTT Ltd?
L.B: It is a multinational company with Hungarian roots. Yet, it works differently from an impersonal multinational company where you don’t know the owners directly. Here, still family members and not just a board of directors run the company, they are involved in the day-to-day work.
It shows that the owners are not working primarily for immediate profit and dividends, but to operate in this sector for the long term. This also provides a high level of security and predictability for colleagues to create value.
What is the working atmosphere and teamwork like?
L.B.: We have a good team, we complement each other well. We can work together. In some places, there are conflicts that are aimed at solving problems, not at each other. I love it when I can find a solution for individual customer needs, even the most complex ones. We are often able to solve problems that seem impossible at first sight, which is also a credit to good teamwork. We have a lot of success working together.
What do we need to know about you, how do you spend your free time, how do you get out of the daily grind?
L.B.: I like reading, watching movies, especially at home, I like interesting stories. I’m interested in technical innovations, in gadgets, but I’m also interested in the wider world in general. In other words, what works, what makes it work and why, curiosity is actually my hobby, I guess.
What message would you send to existing and future colleagues?
L.B.: Hold on to your hats! It’s been a hectic market lately, but the trailer is certainly not going out of fashion. If future colleagues can be flexible, they can find a very stable job with a supportive, people-oriented attitude. For example, we try to take colleagues’ personal problems into account and support them as much as we can. If they need to go and do something urgently, we make it possible by reorganising and reallocating. Fortunately, a team has developed in which our colleagues are mutually flexible and supportive.
We thank László Borbás for the interview.