Path to Success - ISOTRA Opava Celebrates 25 Years in the Manufacturing of Blinds
ISOTRA is one of the most successful companies in the region. The company was established by Mr. Erich Stavař and Mr. Bohumír Blachut. The beginnings were not easy, though. They started manufacturing shading technology in a garage with a minimum of funds.
Beginnings in a Garage
The initial activity of Mr. Erich Stavař and Mr. Bohumír Blachut was the wholesale of window seals, including their installation. The great customer interest in blinds after 1992 led to the expansion of the business activities. Mr. Blachut cleared out the garage in his house, bought the first components for blinds and, together with Mr. Stavař, established the ISOTRA company, its name being derived from the combination of ISO (standing for "isolation") and TRA (standing for "trade").
Their families and friends also put their hands to work in the company. In 1993, the owners hired their first employees. First of all, they started manufacturing their first blinds in the garage and installing them for customers together with the seals. With the number of orders increasing, they moved to larger premises and opened a shop in Ostrava in the same year.
"The year 1994 saw dynamic growth in the demand for our interior blinds. As visitors, we went to the biggest international shading technology fair, R+T," says Mr. Stavař, and Mr. Blachut adds:
During the first several years in the business, we reinvested all the earned money back into the company. The company's growth was our highest priority. And all their efforts paid off. In 1998, for the first time, we exported our products abroad."
Path to Success - International Renown
The year 2000 brought a huge boom in the company's development, as in that year the owners developed the "ISOTRA System", a new type of blinds controlled by chain. Alongside global companies, ISOTRA was the only company from the Czech Republic to exhibit at the above-mentioned shading technology fair.
"In 2004, we bought our current manufacturing premises in Opava. We established the production of exterior blinds, roller blinds, insect screens, garage doors, and also the production of thermoplastic injection moulds. In 2007, we changed the legal form of ISOTRA to a joint-stock company," Bohumír Blachut says.
In the following years, ISOTRA launched a wide range of fabric roller blinds, screen roller blinds, exterior awnings, plissé systems and the unique TITAN chain blind. For decorating aluminium sections, the company introduced the DECORAL surface technology.
"We dare to say that we are the only company in the shading technology industry worldwide that is able to suggest the design, develop a new custom product, manufacture the components for it, test and certify the new product, set up the technological processes, develop the new machinery, and thus supply the complete technology.
Right now, we and our development team are working on the most productive production line to manufacture exterior blinds of various types with the introduction of Industry 4.0 technology. This term indicates the trend of digitization and related automation enabling considerable variability in products and manufacture," states Mr. Blachut.
The company owners have invested a large amount of money in the equipment of their in-house toolroom, development department, and construction department. As of today, they have 16 utility models and 6 patented inventions registered. They have started using the latest 3D technologies. They provide exports to more than 46 countries around the world.
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ISOTRA among the top shading technology manufacturers both in Czech and worldwide
Their many years of experience have placed ISOTRA among the top shading technology manufacturers both in Czech and worldwide, and it has thus become a technical leader in the industry. Over the last 25 years, the company has built a solid position in the market. It was established by two partners; now it has 500 employees.
"We never even dreamt that the company would evolve into one of this size. After all, a quarter-century is a really respectable number in the life of a company. Thanks to our customers and all our employees we can keep growing, for which we are infinitely grateful," both entrepreneurs conclude.
