Interview with Hrvoje Meden, managing partner of SAUTEC Company.
This interview has been translated from French.
Hrvoje Meden, you are the managing partner of SAUTEC. How did the duo you form with Olivier Dobelle come about?
It’s a long story. We’ve been working together with Olivier Dobelle for 20 years. We’ve shared many professional adventures. When we first met, the funny thing was that things didn’t work out between us! But after that, we learned to understand and appreciate each other, to work together and to carry out several projects, the last of which was Sautec, some ten years ago.
What makes your duo so successful?
We complement each other very well. The division of roles is extremely clear. Olivier has a vision of the market and is talented in customer relations and sales. For my part, I’m responsible for getting the job done. In other words, I’m responsible for industrial production and monitoring the supply chain right through to delivery and commissioning of our machines. I have to find industrial solutions that correspond to the customer’s order. I’m a shipbuilding engineer. That was my initial training. I was born in Croatia, in Rijeka, a seaside town with a tradition of shipbuilding. This training gave me an easy entry into the fields of mechanics and engineering. The common point with what I do today is that some of our machines help to fill boats!
Your production is outsourced to Croatia. Where does this come from?
As I said, I’m originally from Croatia. I’m very familiar with the mentality of my home country and I’ve been able to find some very good industrial production solutions there. In a good partner, you need to find the desire to work together, the ability to build the machines, the quality of the products, acceptable manufacturing and delivery times, and of course a competitive price. We chose three industrial partners in Croatia. 50 years ago, these companies manufactured conveyor belts, which we call “sauterelle” in french. In the past, these companies were very large, with thousands of employees. Today, they are smaller, but the people who run them are very familiar with this type of machine. Being Croatian has enabled me to interest them in the production of our machines, and our common culture has facilitated our exchanges.
What is your expertise?
We specialise in the design and manufacture of belt conveyors. We have standard products, but our trademark is to custom-made some details, 10% of the machine, while keeping within the budget. Each equipment is adapted to the type and characteristics of the product, and to the way in which it will be loaded. For example, we transport cereals, rubble, cocoa beans, fertiliser, electronic waste, bags of sugar, etc. Our machines are affordable, robust, reliable and practical.
Why use a belt conveyor?
Our machines are used in a wide variety of scenarios. In a warehouse, for example, they can be used to optimise the storage of cereals at height to make the best use of space. Our customers are looking to go as high as possible, to reduce the number of m2 used because it’s expensive. What’s more, where it would take a day or more to unload a load, fill containers or a boat, the belt conveyor can do it in a few hours.
You’re also a former water polo champion, which is the mark of an original career path. And SAUTEC is a sponsor of Lille Université Club Métropole Waterpolo…
Waterpolo is the reason I came to France, to Lille, to play for Lille Université Club (LUC) Métropole Waterpolo, 32 years ago. I was on the doorstep of the Croatian national team at the age of 24, a team that was Olympic and world champion. I chose to study, even though I had been part of the junior national team. After playing, I became coach of the LUC team for 4 seasons. I still play in the veterans’ team. Thierry Landron, the owner of Méert, is a former player and the club president. We’ve remained very close. Being a sponsor seemed normal to me. I wanted to give back to the club what it had done for me. I felt very welcome, surrounded and supported in my success when I arrived in France. I’m 56 and I’ve been at Lille for 32 years. I also enjoy supporting the club’s youngsters and passing on my passion for top-level sport.
What do top-level sport and your coaching career have in common with the corporate world?
For me, it’s very similar. The fact that I played as part of a team, imposed discipline on myself and set high objectives together with my partners reminds me of the business world. I apply this spirit of succeeding together in sport to the professional arena. Having practised a team sport helps me to get out of difficult situations that can arise in the world of work. Sometimes people are demotivated or there are misunderstandings and difficulties between people. There are social, family and psychological differences between people, but we can overcome the difficulties, just like in a team. When I see a situation getting tougher, I get a flash in my head that reminds me of a moment in my life as a top sportsman. I use it to find the solution. I say to myself “I’ve been there” and “that’s how we got through it”. The parallel between sport and business is obvious to me.
Interview and comments by Plume Pouilloux
