Bringing our factory together in one location has changed the way we work, the way we collaborate, and the way we experience our daily tasks. It has strengthened communication, accelerated decision-making, and created a stronger sense of unity across departments.

Most importantly, it has reinforced the human side of our production.

Production

For the production teams, the consolidation has created greater visibility. Seeing how each step connects to the next makes the full value chain more tangible. When quality, engineering, logistics, and local management are physically close, the entire workflow becomes more transparent. This strengthens ownership and mutual understanding.

“Even before the consolidation we had strong processes and clear responsibilities in place. What has changed is the level of transparency and the speed of alignment across functions. With everyone under one roof, my production team can validate adjustments immediately, coordinate priorities face to face and follow the impact of decisions throughout the entire production flow. It has strengthened cross-functional ownership and given us an even clearer view of how our daily work supports quality, delivery performance and overall results.”

Pavol Berenda, Production Director

Product Engineering

When Product Engineering now develops or adjusts a solution, they can walk directly to production to see how it performs in practice. Instead of relying on scheduled meetings or back-and-forth messages, discussions happen in real time. Small clarifications are solved immediately. This shortens development cycles and improves precision.

We asked Ivana Sandalova who is responsible for the sewing team in Product Engineering to explain which opportunities she sees with one location for all 500 employees in Hummené:

“When we develop a new solution or adjust an existing one, I can now go directly to all support functions including Production and see how it works in practice. We don’t have to wait for meetings or long email threads to clarify small details. Feedback comes quickly, and we can make adjustments right away. It improves the quality of our work and makes the cooperation across all teams much closer and more natural.”

Customer Service

Customer Service also experiences the difference. When questions arise regarding production, lead times, or technical details, answers can be obtained quickly and directly. This strengthens reliability and confidence in customer communication.

“The dialogue between Production and Customer Service is faster and more precise, which means we can give customers reliable information without delay.” Marianna Babinska, Head of Customer Service continues: “It helps us keep the high service level we are known for and, in many cases, respond even better than before. Being closer to production simply makes it easier to deliver what we promise.”

Local management

From a management perspective, decision-making has become more agile. Having key functions in one place allows for faster alignment and more direct dialogue. Issues that previously required planning across locations can now be solved within hours instead of days. This responsiveness benefits both our internal processes and our customers.

Štefan Čabák, Head of Product Engineering and part of the local Management team is very clear about the advantages of one location: 

“Having everyone in one place makes daily coordination much easier. If something needs a decision, we can sit down together the same day and agree on the next step instead of sending emails back and forth. The path from question to solution is shorter, and that helps both our teams and our customers. At the same time, it has brought people closer and created a stronger feeling that we are one factory, not separate units.”

Sustainability goes hand in hand with culture

Of course, there are measurable operational advantages. One location reduces internal transport, simplifies logistics, and contributes to lowering our overall carbon footprint. But sustainability is not only about technical improvements. It is also about creating a working environment where people feel connected, motivated, and proud of what they do.

The new factory setup represents more than an optimized production flow. It reflects a shared ambition and a long-term investment in our people in Slovakia. It creates a framework where collaboration happens naturally, where ideas can move faster, and where relationships grow stronger across functions.

Perhaps the most significant change is cultural. Instead of operating from two sites, we now operate as one unified team. The physical consolidation has strengthened our collective identity. It has made collaboration easier, communication faster, and everyday work more dynamic.