Karel Lupa – ‘Super Innovator’ LIBERTY Ostrava

During 2020, employees at LIBERTY Ostrava came up with improvement ideas which have helped the plant save around six million Czech Crowns (€230,000) as well as saving time, improving production efficiency, increasing workplace safety or reducing environmental footprint. Of the 279 ideas presented, around 88% were accepted for implementation and almost 75% have already been successfully put into practice.

Since 2003, when the mill started to keep records of improvement suggestions, employees have submitted around 3,300 improvement ideas.

Some of the ideas put into practice last year included a steel rolling gutter for the production of leaf spring steel and a whole range of tandem furnace scrabbler improvements, including better cooling and hydraulics. Colleagues who submit improvement ideas that go on to be implemented receive a financial reward as recognition of their good idea.

The plant’s most innovative employee is Karel Lupa, who works as a locksmith in the plant’s medium section rolling mill and has been named “Innovator of the year” for the last five years. In that time alone Karel has submitted 105 innovations, including one which improved the fluency of product rolling and cooling at the medium section mill.

Medium section mill – LIBERTY Ostrava, Czech Republic

Regina Besta Cabáková, who is in charge of improvement ideas at LIBERTY Ostrava, said: “We encourage every employee to come up with improvement suggestions. Last year we accepted almost all of the ideas for implementation with most already implemented. This shows not only the high quality of the submitted innovations but that there is always room for improvement and that we should always strive to get better. I look forward to an even better selection this year.”