Placed on Wednesday 26 September 2007

The new production hall of Pezag was opened beneath lovely sunshine and in the presence of many interested people, during the Open Day of 22 September 2007.

This new acquisition forms the ‘provisional’ tailpiece of the extensive reconstruction of the production of Pezag which has been realised over the past years. Here practically everything was taken in hand: the building with all the installations, the machines, the offices, the information systems and of course the internal organisation. With the new hall it has become possible to optimize the entire flow of goods and to store them under cover.

“This new hall was immediately the reason to also modernise the outside of the building. Not that we are ready now, by the way!”, explains a proud Mojmir Rohleder who, together with his Management Team, performed the opening and with that gave the start signal for the Open Day. “In the coming time we will start up with our Aluminium Foundry. And the following plans are already ready. We continue to improve constantly, both in the resources and in the organisation”.

During the Open Day the possibilities and the future direction of Pezag became visible. The possibilities of the CNC Verspaning (Metal removal) with 3D-Measuring machines, the Sheets of metal work and Press department, the Welding shop and the Aluminium Foundry which is under construction were all viewed with a lot of interest by over 900 visitors from home and abroad.

Moreover there was an extensive programme for the recreation of the guests. Not only were the drinks and snacks taken care off very well, there was a lot to be seen and one could take part in a number of activities. For example the racing team of Eurotech Racing was represented with the Marcos LM race car. Also JSC Racing presented themselves and the latest new models of Ford were there to admire. Besides carting on an asphalt carting track it was possible to drive on the other side of the street on a sandy quad-circuit.

The dessert of all these activities was formed by the presence of the DAKAR Truck which is sponsored by EUROTECH GROUP. This special M.A.N. Truck with 400 HP will start in the DAKAR Rally in January 2008. This 6,000 kilometre long Rally through the inhospitable deserts of Africa is the world’s toughest in its class and demands the maximum from people and vehicles. A spectacular circuit was setup around the new foundry hall of Pezag on the future new Industrial zone of Trest. The full DAKAR team was present: Toon van de Haterd, Wim Noorman and Marc van den Berg. A lot of visitors got the opportunity to drive along for a lap. And they will still remember that lap intensively for a long time to come…….

Already for some time now the Open Days are an appreciated tradition within the Eurotech Group. During the last Open Day, on 22 September 2006 in Venlo, the new Seiatsu Automatische Vormlijn (automatic shaping line) was opened and we also celebrated the 15 year old existence of the Eurotech Group. A large delegation of Pezag was present during this. During the Open Day at Pezag again a large delegation of the Eurotech companies from the Netherlands was present. Not an insignificant performance given the long time in the bus here and back. Also a delegation of Techwork from Slovakia was present at Pezag. During the Open Days it is tradition that the Dutch Eurotech Football Team competes against a Czech Pezag Football Team. The large attention within the group for Technique, Teamwork and Top sport is this way once again extra emphasised.

After the closure of the official part of the Open Day, in the afternoon, the participants and supporters went to the "Football Arena" in Ruzena, at some kilometres from Trest. All the members of the club in Ruzena had taken care of things to drink and something delicious on the barbecue. The coaches gave their last instructions and the start signal for the football match was given. The game was, above expectations, exciting and sporty. The referee proved to be incorruptible and the players on both sides gave their maximum. The game went very equal but finished in a 2 - 1 victory for the Pezag Team. Under a wonderful sun in this superb ambiance the challenge cup was awarded and the game was extensively analysed. Each player proved to be a real star player. A striking observation of one of the players was noted: "hey mum, another cup again, Second place this time". Our mum of course also knew that there is no third place when there are only two clubs playing, but nevertheless she laughed broadly and with satisfaction. "Well done, my boy" she said proudly.

Tired and satisfied the return trip to the hotel was undertaken. After having freshened up the evening started with a delicious buffet. Especially the "pig cooked on the spit" was popular and Czech music stole the show. Yet especially the revealing show of the Butterfly Ladies from Prague will be remembered by many and by some in particular, for a long time to come. After breakfast on Sunday the bus started the long trip back to the Netherlands. The DAKAR team took the opportunity, after that, to still train for some hours on the circuit around the foundry hall. There were again many interested people who were given the opportunity to ride along for a lap.

On Sunday afternoon Pezag was left by the last visitors and given the opportunity to get back into the normal daily work climate.

All participants and visitors of the Open Day 2007 look back with a lot of pleasure on a wonderful and successful weekend. Meanwhile plans are already being made for next year and we hope we are then able to welcome everyone again in good health, either in the Netherlands, or in Slovakia….