From the heart of a sawmill: An interview with “Giorgio” Prelipcean (HS Radauti)

The cutting hall is the heart of a sawmill. It is that place where the log is cut into lumber, at the best yield. At the Holzindustrie Schweighofer sawmills, on the feed line of the cutting section, a single species and a single log size, either pine, spruce or fir, is introduced for processing into an individual program. Then, with cutting-edge technology, logs are being transformed into lumber, which in a further technological process it will be dried and then planed, further processed and then used by craftsmen in the furniture or construction industry.

From the beginning, the cutting hall of Holzindustrie Schweighofer Radauti had only one conductor, Gheorghe Prelipcean or, as many know him, Giorgio. With a stern figure, but with a big heart, Giorgio fascinates through his simple and sincere way of talking about how he lives, how he interacts with people, and how he acts in any situation.

From the Turin Olympic Games to Radauti

Prior to joining the Holzindustrie Schweighofer team, Giorgio worked abroad, in constructions. “I even worked at the Turin Winter Olympics in 2006 as an electrician. The cross-country ski run was already prepared. The lights were prepared, and the electrical installation was placed underground. I’ve been working on the Olympic stadium, and since December 1 I went into surveillance and coordination activities. I stayed there from January to March until the snow melted and I dismantled everything. It was a full year of experience there. I still have the badge, the pass and the jersey. It was actually a bet with someone and I managed to be there. I knew technical drawing and I was speaking German well. It was so beautiful!”

But at home in Romania, everything was settled down: his wife and the two children were waiting for him to return. At that time he heard that in Radauti a factory was being built, but he wasn’t sure: “I saw a container in the middle of the field and I could not believe it. I knew that in Romania there wasn’t anyone so serious about things – someone to build a big and modern factory? But it happened.”

The black sheep

Before joining the Holzindustrie Schweighofer, Giorgio worked on the construction of The Gerald’s Hotel in Radauti, at the construction of the parking lot. “They were putting asphalt on clay! In a short time I became the black sheep. I was following the documentation and guidelines and in parallel how the work was being done. But it wasn’t done properly. They were putting the asphalt on the clay and I told them that this cannot happen: ‘Here you have to take half a meter, put ballast, then put broken stone, cut it, and after all these you have to place the asphalt’ ... ‘Come on, what the…. do you teach us how to do our job?’ - they told me. And I replied, ‘No. Just following the documentation and guidelines that you signed.’”

Giorgio then stepped into the sawmill construction: from excavations, to laying the concrete, to building halls and to installation of the state-of-the-art equipment. In the fall of 2007 he was told: “George, we need you at the cutting hall.” And since then Giorgio has been leading the activities here.

Working with people. 2pac on the ringtone.

Working with people is always a challenge. For Giorgio it is a way of life and he shares interesting memories: “I remember that in the fall the offices of HS were moved from city right here to the factory. I step into the office and my phone rings. I had 2pac on ringtone. A very young colleague asked me: ‘What kind of music are you listening to?’ I have always adapted and tried to understand mentalities, differences of opinion and younger generations. At Holzindustrie Schweighofer, I have not only strengthened my knowledge about technology, but also about human interaction.

Now I'm at the age when I train people. The new employees are trained between 3 and 6 months by staying near an already qualified employee. With the conservatism of a man who may be too old, I call people to me, teach them, show them, and explain them from elementary things to the most complicated ones. I like to understand the world, sit down and talk to people, discover their values and needs and help them as much as possible.”

When at work you feel like in a family

It sometimes happens that you spend more time at work than at home, and then it is important to build a safe environment, where you know that you are listened and understood. This is also the case with Giorgio’s team:

“I understand very well the situations involving health problems. Or, if you have any problem at home, just let me know in time so I can handle how to reorganize myself. But you should go and resolve the situation. You will not be able to properly do your job here if you are with your mind somewhere else, and you cannot solve the problems you are having at home but at the same time you cannot even concentrate here,” says Giorgio, with a sincere and fatherly voice. And you’re convinced that’s the way things are in his section.

For Giorgio, the health stays on the same level with the need of continuous education:

“If someone wants to follow any school, any course or training, I support them any way I can. It is important for people to be understood and helped, to always ask them to show you that they have learned something here and to make efforts to improve their practices, even if at some point there is a risk that the best people will leave from the company. And that happened. But it happens that those who leave are recommending others to come for working here. This is a sign that we’re doing something right. Our employees appreciate the seriousness of payments: the salary day is the salary day without any delay. Then the company offers trainings, but also private health insurance, meal vouchers and transport to the factory and back home. Here we ensure secure jobs. The benefits are well above the market average, and those who are having experience in other companies, appreciate what and how we do things here.”

The crisis. What do you do when your business changes every half hour?

In 2008, the world was shaken by an economic crisis. At the beginning of 2018 specialists speak about another economic crisis. On the Romanian wood market, the price for the raw material has risen enormously and the resource crisis is already showing its effects, affecting all companies, regardless of size.

A commercial which Giorgio has seen many years ago was saying: “What will you do if your business changes in half an hour? Today there is a hairdresser, then a shop and a conference room.”  Here's how a well-thought-out advertisement can give you ideas: “In every business and profession you have to make a re-qualification, see what's new, what you can do better and different, how you can adapt to the new times. Also, the good practices must be preserved.”

“In 2008 I accepted the challenge of the Schweighofer Group's owner about the crisis. There was a business plan, but the world economy was hit. Then, 1 million euros per week were lost in factories. At that time, when production was reduced everywhere, Holzindustrie Schweighofer opened a factory and the owner said, ‘I will take the risk and we are moving on. Who wants to meet with us at the end of the year, OK. I really want to be even more of us than we are now’ for me it was a challenge to accept and move on together with the team,” Giorgio remembers, as if everything had happened yesterday.

It may seem a waste of time

Holzindustrie Schweighofer supports a vocational education class at the “Grigore Cobalcescu” Technical College in Moinesti (Bacau County). In addition to renovating the school workshop and dorm, the company also offers scholarships to students, the value depending on the grades they get. Annually, the 14 future electricians and 14 future mechanics carry out their program of practice in Holzindustrie Schweighofer factories.

We have seen interest shown by children, but we also create this interest through the way we do things 

Giorgio says to the young students that came in practical training to the Holzindustrie Schweighofer sawmill: “You must ask questions, try, and do your work. If you fail, it is OK. But let me know that you failed so we can learn something together out of this experience and do better in the future. Anywhere you will go you will be asked what you know to do. Now it’s your time to gather experience, to learn and to develop a passion.”

“It is wise to share your experience with the next generations,” says Giorgio, with the wisdom of man that has a lot experiences in life, and continues: “my role now is to educate young people, with responsibility and dedication. I take all the necessary time and talk to them a lot. It may seem a waste of time. But I see things like this: I have two children. If I treat the youth differently, how will my children be treated? The only thing that I ask of the students that are here in practical training is to show me that they have learned something.”

Give everyone some work to do

Asked about what advice he would give to young generation to ensure success in career, Giorgio strongly underlines: “The advice I would give, valid in any profession: if you are dutiful at all, made or educated to be so, then just persevere with passion. There are people who have a passion - and it's good to use it. These people think that a whole life they have not worked. They are getting retired and have a lot of time to spare, but they do not get stuck because they know what to do next. The recipe is simple: the mind of man has to be busy, you have to always give it some work to do.”