MSV
10.-13.10. 2023

Representatives of Czech and French companies discussed at the forum the impact of rising energy prices on their business and presented innovations in energy savings. This inspiring meeting was organised by the French-Czech Chamber of Commerce (FCCC) in cooperation with the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic (SPČR).

"I consider MSV to be one of the key events not only in the market for engineering goods, but also with a focus on sustainable industry. We want to look for solutions here because we must work together towards this goal," said Roland Bourgeois, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the FCCC, at the beginning of the meeting. If sustainable production is the goal, he said, it is important to better understand the economic situation of companies. That is why the FCCC has conducted a survey among its member companies in recent weeks on the impact of rising energy prices and inflation on their plans and business. "Over 50% of the companies said they expect a big impact from high energy prices and rising inflation on their business. For 7%, this impact may even be critical," reported Roland Bourgeois. Nevertheless, the vast majority of companies surveyed plan to make investments in the coming years, most often in human resources, technology and sustainable development.

The subsequent panel discussion between representatives of Czech and French companies confirmed the demanding situation that companies are facing today. The forced transition to greener and more responsible business is often pretty challenging for them, yet it seems to be probably the only sustainable solution for the future. Many of them have already taken this route in the past, hence, now they have something to build on. For example, Vojtěch Hříbal from the company Schneider Electric said that the company has long been able to meet its goal of saving 3% of energy annually, also thanks to the use of renewable heat sources, and aims to conduct its production completely without carbon emissions by 2030.

As Petr Jonák, a member of the SPCR Board of Directors and head of the SPČR's expert team on sustainability, informed the forum, Czech companies expect the worst impacts of energy price increases to happen next year. According to a survey with more than 100 respondents, in addition to reducing costs, Czech companies are most often considering investing in photovoltaic power plants (60%), replacing lighting sources (over 50%) or modernising heating systems (25%). For example, they chose sustainability because of their customers or employees – especially the young ones for whom this is a crucial topic. They are also doing so in order to stay competitive, and although it may be a challenging investment at the moment, they expect it to reduce costs in the future.

Partners and panellists included furthermore companies such as Fosfa, Škoda Auto, Komerční banka, Manutan, TotalEnergies and Veolia. Joelle Seux, executive in charge of European and internal affairs of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, also delivered her welcome address. On behalf of this MSV partner region, she invited the forum participants to visit the French display in Hall V. "As the first industrial region of France, we have the largest French delegation at this year's MSV. Our companies also have their displays in this exhibition hall, offering sustainability solutions on which they want to cooperate with Czech partners," emphasized Joelle Seux.