Forbes CZ magazine has recognised ComAp as one of the best family companies in the Czech Republic, ranking ComAp 51st out of 200 companies. Even though ComAp is already 33 years old, this is the first time the company has been included in this annual ranking. Forbes' understanding of a family business has changed over time, and ComAp now meets the criteria with its three founding families—the Maleks, the Mertls, and the Prochazkas. As an experienced newcomer to this ranking, ComAp earned the highest place out of 16 newcomers. 

You can see the full ranking here: https://forbes.cz/lists/nejvetsi-rodinne-firmy-2024/

On this occasion, we are publishing a short interview with the families’ representatives, conducted before the annual ranking assessment this April. 

How are you and your company doing?

We are doing well and believe that we will continue to grow in 2024. The market for control systems for independent power resources is still booming, and we are making every effort to invest in new solutions for hybrid microgrids and battery storage. Because we operate globally, we also had to overcome some challenges last year, including greater currency fluctuations and significant frontloading by some of our customers.

How was your last year? What's new with you? 

Our long-term vision is to support our customers in the transition to renewable energy, and this remains our core objective. The last year can be summarised in three pillars: new sustainable energy solutions, maximising support for non-financial reporting and implementing sustainability principles across the company (ESG) and expanding our network with new subsidiaries.

In previous years, we have invested massively in the development of a new range of controllers for hybrid microgrids. This year, we launched a new controller for battery storage systems (BESS) right at the beginning of the year. The competition is enormous, and the market is very dynamic. For example, with the controller for BESS, we had to act quickly and launch the product in record time.

We have also conducted our first internal ESG audit, and we aim to publish our first ESG report this year, two years ahead of the mandatory deadline. We want to lead by example and inspire other companies to see the ESG agenda not just as an obligation but as an incentive to integrate sustainability principles at every corporate level.

Additionally, at the turn of last year, we announced the opening of 3 new subsidiaries in France, Turkey, and Japan, bringing our total number of branches to 15, accompanied by over 70 distributors in our global network.

What are your plans for this year? 

We want to continue to grow by bringing more solutions for renewable energy and its smart management. We also aim to continue the expansion of our partner network and geographic reach. Lastly, we plan to publish our first non-financial report.

Who from your family works in the company and in what positions? Has anything changed in this respect since last year? For example, is an intergenerational handover of the company taking place, or are you preparing for it?

 ComAp is still owned by the three founding families - the family of Libor Mertl, Martin Malek and Ales Prochazka. The founders resigned from the management of the company in 2016, and two of them were active on the Board of Directors until 2022. The year 2023 was marked by the entry of the second generation of the founding families into the Board of Directors - each family now has a representative there (Libor Mertl, Markéta Málková and Eva Szetei, née Procházková). Martin Málek Jr. also works in the company as a Senior Financial Specialist, and Eva Szetei is Assistant Financial Controller.

In addition to the representatives on the Board of Directors, we have formed an informal Foundation Board to discuss the long-term family foundation plan.

We try to ensure that everyone, including the next generation, is involved in some way at the level of responsible ownership. In terms of long-term stewardship, we see our company as something that needs to be developed and built for the long term. Hopefully, we are succeeding in doing that.