From lorry driver to team leader in the piece dyeing plant
Velorex - no, this is not a newly discovered species of dinosaur, but a vintage car and the hobby of Tomáš Holos, team leader in the piece dyeing department at Getzner Textil. In Bludenz, he provides an unusual sight on the streets with the motorised, three-wheeled vehicle - built in 1963.
‘My wife always grumbles because I spend so much time in the workshop and can't take the children out for a ride,’ admits Tomáš. He spent two years restoring his Velorex. ‘Although I'm a trained car mechanic, it was a challenge for me.’ After completing his training, Tomáš worked as a long-distance lorry driver for a long time before moving to Vorarlberg from Slovakia with his wife. Tomáš has been working in piece dyeing for over ten years, now as a team leader. One of the reasons for his reorientation was starting a family: ‘As a lorry driver, I was sometimes on the road for a month and then only at home for a week,’ recalls Tomáš.
Family friendliness instead of long-distance transport
In comparison, he now enjoys particularly family-friendly structures at Getzner Textil: his two children, aged nine and four, attend the company's own childcare centres ‘Getzners Buntstiftle’ and ‘Getzners Buntsprechtle’. Tomáš also works with his wife in the counter-shift model. ‘My wife Lucia works in the weaving mill. The counter-shift model is a great relief for us. I work eight hours in the morning shift and then I'm at home with the children - what more could you want?’ summarises Tomáš. The native Slovakian is also currently taking advantage of the Getzner Academy: ‘I have to write more and more emails at work. People always laugh when I write something rubbish. I don't really mind that ...’ But you want to be a role model - especially as a family man.
