"We want to advance Europe with our technology"
Interview with Jaroslav Macek, CEO of the Elevion Group
Elevion aims to be a strong partner for its customers in Germany and beyond in the energy transition: through the development, implementation, and maintenance of heating, thermal, and energy systems in the industrial context, but also in the construction of solar parks, biomethane facilities, and similar projects. CEO Jaroslav Macek spoke with Wirtschaftsforum about current projects and the strong growth potential of his company for the future.
Wirtschaftsforum: How extensive is Elevion's range of services today?
Jaroslav Macek: Essentially, our strategy is based on three pillars: We develop and implement comprehensive energy solutions for our clients - from efficient heating systems and ventilation systems to complete building management including the necessary automation components. Furthermore, we offer comprehensive solutions in the field of renewable energy - from photovoltaic systems to the corresponding storage systems in any scope, especially for use in complex industrial environments. A comprehensive energy contracting offer completes our portfolio. It is important to us to appear technology-agnostic: so we install not only heat pumps and solar modules, but also hybrid gas heating systems - and we are also involved in converting biogas plants to the production of biomethane: in Italy, we now operate ten such plants.
Wirtschaftsforum: How is the collaboration with your customers structured?
Jaroslav Macek: We like to see ourselves as a one-stop shop for our customers' needs along their entire value chain in energy supply: from in-depth analysis of their specific requirements and objectives to the development of a suitable individual solution and its implementation, to its operation and the later performance of necessary maintenance work. Additionally, we offer appropriate financing solutions and can also provide energy through our contracting. Some of our customers want to rely on our competencies for all these steps, while others have their own resources for the construction work, so we only support them selectively - here too, we tailor our services to their needs. Besides our pronounced customer-specific orientation, we distinguish ourselves by our particular agility in the market - and through our international approach: many of our customers operate sites in several countries in Europe, for which we can necessarily develop and provide solutions - all from a single source.
Wirtschaftsforum: Elevion does not shy away from complex conditions either.
Jaroslav Macek: Recently, our group company Synecotec developed and installed a challenging photovoltaic system at an altitude of over 1,500 meters. It now supplies the Zwölferhorn cable car in the Salzkammergut with environmentally friendly electricity. The excess energy generated is meanwhile directed to a neighboring village, creating a very sustainable ecosystem – a project that in our view is not only ecologically forward-looking, but also serves as a strong economic business case for the fact that photovoltaic systems can represent an economically efficient solution even under the most difficult natural conditions.
Wirtschaftsforum: In addition, you are currently involved in the construction of the largest solar park in the Netherlands with a capacity of 192 MW.
Jaroslav Macek: In this project, not only is the size impressive, but also the engineering behind it. Due to the difficult soil conditions, the individual modules there must be secured with special anchor systems. Here, our German team can now prove that it can implement first-class solutions across Europe when in doubt.
Wirtschaftsforum: How do you see the future of Elevion?
Jaroslav Macek: In the coming years, we want to continue to grow strongly and thus make an important contribution to the energy transition in Europe: Europe has long been seen as a driver of technological innovation - today, however, from my point of view, it too often leaves untapped opportunities. If we become more agile and pragmatic, we will also have excellent opportunities for success in the future – not least thanks to our strong medium-sized business culture, which Elevion also represents.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Macek, Elevion was originally formed ten years ago from the Czech ČEZ Group – the largest energy conglomerate in Central and Eastern Europe.
Jaroslav Macek: At that time, ČEZ wanted to implement comprehensive changes to its corporate strategy and also gradually expanded beyond national borders into Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Eventually, Germany, France, Poland, and Northern Italy emerged as particularly exciting markets with attractive conditions and strong growth potential. One of the first acquisitions by ČEZ was the German-based Elevion Group, which had primarily focused on technical building installations. The Elevion brand was already well known at the time, which is why we decided not only to retain it but also to use it as the basis for our further expansion: Now, over 80 companies are operating under the Elevion umbrella, several of which also appear in the market externally.