Spotkanie po latach w Swiss Krono

At the SWISS KRONO headquarters, a special meeting took place. The Żary plant was visited by former employees of the company. It was a moment full of emotion and memories—some hadn't seen each other for over a decade. The former employees were also joined by Maciej Karnicki, President of SWISS KRONO.

Former employees touring the plant made no secret of being enormously impressed by the technological progress made over the years at the Żary facility.

Do you remember the old machine park? I remember everything—the creaking, everything that was happening back then. But what I've seen now—enormous technological changes in terms of appearance, the decor, the machinery, the orderliness, the cleanliness. And the incredible diversity of production. The impression is enormous, my heart was racing. I'm used to this area, but I hadn't had the chance to see the factory from the inside for 30 years. So for me, the technological leap was enormous, and I visited with great pleasure.

I worked here until 2007, and many buildings were being constructed and many machines and production lines were being set up during my time here. And I was there—I was hiring people, I lived through it. It was wonderful and pleasant because even though we live in the same city, we don't meet up—everyone goes their own way, everyone has their own activities. Especially during the pandemic, communication changed entirely. There are people you talk to on the phone, and there are people I was very happy to meet today. We reminisced about many situations and admired the charm of this enormous plant.

Krzysztof Przygodzki, a member of the SWISS KRONO board, remembers well how the Żary plant looked at its beginnings.

I was there on the day of practically the first board production, and then all the changes that took place here up to today were made with my involvement—to a large extent, because I worked in the investments department from practically the very beginning and was closely involved. These people who now, after many years—I spoke to some today even after thirty or forty years—came to this plant and couldn't recognize it. I think this is a sign that over these several decades we've done a great deal, transforming a factory that was then one of the flagship investments in Poland into one that is now one of the largest in the world and probably one of the most modern.

Former employees presented Maciej Karnicki, President of SWISS KRONO, with a unique gift: a fragment of the first particleboard produced at the Żary plant, along with a commemorative pennant from the particleboard factories.

I kept this particleboard sample—down to the exact hour. Everyone supported each other, whether it was the moment production started or when the loading crane received the boards. But that was at 10:46 PM, and I remember that hour. The first board produced in Żary was cut into formats almost A4-sized. I also received one. I have the satisfaction of being able to hand over the original from 34 years ago. I've been enjoying these two mementos and the pennant all these years. And since the Kronospan plant—the successors of those traditions—I considered it appropriate to pass them on.

The initiator of the meeting was SWISS KRONO employee Grzegorz Stachów.

We wanted to look back at how things used to be, how they look today, and what the prospects are for the future. We wanted to show the people who started it all how it looks today. It was very moving for me—when I called each person, you could hear the emotion, the pride that someone had called them, that someone had thought of them, that someone had invited them. Everyone came happily. The employees have already announced that they need to meet again soon to maintain these bonds, because the Żary plant was an enormous part of their lives.