Eduard and Miroslav Poncovi are one of the leading manufacturers in the field of roofing in our country. In 1993, they started producing concrete roof tiles under the Betonpres brand in a deserted agricultural area in Kočín near Týna nad Vltavou. This year they celebrate 30 years, during which time they have grown substantially. Since the turning point in 2012, when their production became fully automated, the turnover for their products is now more than tenfold. The elder Eduard focuses on sales, the younger Miroslav is in charge of production. They have followers in the family business, four sons have studied construction engineering and are involved in running the company. Just as their industry changed over three decades, so did their production. Today, they have an automatic line, a 3D printer to develop new products and manufacture some roofing accessories, and are assisted by robots in the factory.
Betonpres employs sixty people and annually produces bags for around 5,000 average family houses. The main products are basic roof tiles with an extensive portfolio of concrete fittings as well as a complete roof system solution with a long-term service life and a thirty-year tile warranty.
The original motto, so that customers could always rely on their roofs, was extended by the Poncová brothers to include environmental friendliness. Thanks to this, they use, for example, an aging box heated by ground energy to dry bags, and they have a solar power plant on the roofs of the plant. And they plan to introduce other technologies in the coming years. “The idea to start a company developed gradually. We had a desire to create something with added value. And it’s true that when you came to construction companies at the beginning of the nineties, you had to wait for the material,” recalls Miroslav Ponec, who is already planning another thirty.
“We would definitely like to build a new production capacity that will be even more modern and we want to be involved in the debates and development of the future of roofing. Solve the questions of whether to make it only from concrete or whether the binder will be cement. This is a much-discussed matter, also because of the carbon footprint. And we would like to come up with something that would jump into a new development stage. Our covering must have added value in the future,” says Miroslav Ponec.
The first customers of Betonpres in the early 1990s were mainly farmers who reconstructed restored agricultural buildings. Over the years, however, the company from southern Bohemia grew to cover the entire Czech Republic. “And also the entire field gradually became professional. Even the roofs have a completely different level. This is also why we organize training for roofers in the winter months. We want roofs to be done the way they should be. This is our company’s contribution to the industry. With this, we want to contribute to better roofs and promotion, so that roofs in general are made well,” Eduard Ponec adds, adding that the entry of his sons into the business was also essential.
“Within the family, business takes place on a completely different level. On the level of a kind of relaxation. We are basically six guys, six shareholders, and I would say that they all do it with gusto and commitment and at the same time for fun. On the one hand, of course, it is serious work with everything that goes with it. On the other hand, there is also joy and lightness in it. You can hardly shoot a colleague over the edge within the work process. Whereas within the family, it’s completely normal between us,” he concludes.
The company Betonpres, which this week from 9 to 11.2. will participate in the Prague Roof Fair at PVA EXPO Praha Letňany, announces a competition for three roofs to celebrate the anniversary. Each worth 330,000 crowns. All information can be found at www.betonpres30let.cz. The competition will last until May 7.
