Branimir Muidza, General Manager of the Kakanj Cement Factory - The most important thing for a good leader is that the team can rely on him

Branimir Muidza is the General Manager of the Kakanj Cement Factory and the General Manager of the HeidelbergCement Group in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, and has been working in various management positions within this group ever since 2000.

His impressive biography begins after completing his formal education, followed by a series of business successes in his respectable career.

Prior to joining HeidelbergCement, Muidza worked for three years as a broker and analyst for Croatian Flacius Securities, and also managed Finance and Accounting in Croatia.

He has been the President of the Council of Foreign Investors in BiH since 2011, a member of the Management Board of the Association for the Improvement of German-Bosnian Economic Relations and the President of the Business Council of the Faculty of Economics in Sarajevo.

Muidza was elected manager of the year in BiH five times, and in 2012, manager of the decade for BiH and Southeast Europe. In November 2012, the International League of Humanists awarded Muigi the Golden Charter of the International Humanist of the Decade.

With equal energy and enthusiasm, he still performs all his functions today, insisting on quality without compromise, constant improvement and education, and relying on a loyal team of people.

In the interview below, you can find out more about his view on leadership, the corelation between mutual connections and the success of the company, and the steps that lead to the longevity of the business in the following lines.

What has changed in national and regional market in the past 21 years, since the Kakanj Cement Factory was privatized? Did you have to change too?

Since privatization until today, we have invested almost more than KM 200 million ( EUR 100 million) to make this factory today on par with the best and most advanced European cement producers, both in terms of quality and environmental protection, safety at work, work organization, and everything that is called sustainable development nowadays.

Through intensive investments and transformations, we have prepared our plants and our employees to adapt to all changes in the market. The cement market in BiH and the region today is a free market where we have a large number of producers who are fighting equally for each customer. First of all, there has been a diversification of products, which speaks of the growth and maturation of the market, and increasing information and education of customers, who today want to use specialized materials for special types of construction.

Unlike the former two types of cement that were once produced in most cement plants, today we sell many more types of cement to meet the needs of our customers. So, in addition to intensive transformation in terms of investing in new technologies and new equipment, Kakanj Cement Factory has worked hard to move to a market-oriented business in order to fully adapt to new market and customer requirements. What we also worked on is vertical integration, so today we have our own concrete plants that make our brands of top quality concrete brands.

Today, the Kakanj Cement Factory is an example of a successful modern company that works entirely on the principles of sustainable development, which means continuous investment in business, as well as in the development of employees and the local community. We live in an age of the most intense technological changes ever, and companies that change and adapt in a timely and adequate manner will survive in the market.

What is your formula for success for long and successful business in BiH and the region?

A long-term vision with short-term detailed planning and budgeting is what I always emphasize as the key to successful business with permanent education of all employees and insistence on quality without compromise. You need to have a vision of the future and shape the business development accordingly, while at the same time closely monitoring any changes in the environment that could affect your work and business.

All this requires continuous, intensive strategic investment so that production processes are always in line with the best available technologies. Today, that implies a digital transformation that provides us with new ways of communication and work organization. Therefore, it is very important to follow all global trends and invest in the development of new technologies and new competencies in a timely manner.

In addition, we are a company that makes the material from which our society is built, our roads, infrastructure, tunnels, bridges, airports, buildings and homes, so our responsibility is really huge. We are aware of that and do our best to make top quality products that everyone can rely on.

How do you make business decisions, who is your best advisor?

I always try to make business decisions as a team, because only if we can look at every situation and every move from all angles, then we can make the right decision at the right time. I have full confidence in the people I have been working with for many years, and I can say that I am surrounded by very professional and hard-working associates with whom I work on the organization. I must also point out that we have the great support of HeidelbergCement Group experts at all levels, especially in the fields of production, occupational safety, environmental protection and work organization, which makes it much easier for us to adapt to all new situations. Of course, sometimes in work and life you simply have to rely on intuition and feeling, and these are mostly the most complex and important decisions.

You came to the position of director as a young man. Were there any business challenges that you once thought you weren’t up to?

- I must admit that I have never been afraid of responsibility and making the most difficult decisions. I would rather have such a decision in my hands than depend on someone else. Of course, there were various situations when I was in a dilemma how to act and what to do.

It is true that I came to a managerial position at a very young age, but cement is something that has accompanied me since my childhood, because I grew up next to the cement factory in Pula where my father worked. In the meantime, I really liked this job, because every day I have the opportunity to do something new, something better, improve something in my own way, influence development, see the results of my work and the work of all colleagues, and cement is the material from which created a modern world.

I have been a member of the prestigious HeidelbergCement family since 1999, and after the privatization of the Kakanj Cement Factory, HeidelbergCement leaders suggested that I be part of the management team through a transition that was intensive through numerous investments in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Here, in a very short period of time, I showed my great desire, will and commitment to transform the Kakanj cement plant with my great team into a European cement plant, which we will all proudly mention. I think that with my work, commitment, approach and measurable results, I gained the trust not only of the leading people of HeidelbergCement, but most importantly of the people who have worked in the Kakanj cement plant for decades, as well as the local community. Connecting with professional and hard-working people and their trust gave me additional courage and self-confidence to face all challenges. Whenever I had any difficult dilemma or doubt, I always had someone to consult and to rely on, and I am grateful to all my colleagues without whom I would not be what I am today.

What do you think is key to the label of a good leader and manager?

Above all, a good leader should be a good role model to his colleagues and employees when it comes to commitment to the company`s mission and vision, and listen to what his people say to him. It is crucial to build open communication based on trust within the organization and to develop potentials in people, because I believe that the concept of lifelong learning brings many benefits to all employees, and above all it gives them satisfaction and self-confidence.

A good leader and a good manager knows that he can rely on his people, that he can completely leave it to them to lead their segments of the organization. However, what I think is most important for a good leader is that his people can rely on him knowing that he is a trusted person and will always provide them with unconditional support, timely and good feedback and leadership that relies on leading by example.

Which jobs and projects of the Kakanj Cement Factory are you most proud of?

I am proud to be a pioneer in many fields, especially in the field of sustainable development. We were the first ones in BiH to start using alternative fuels that minimize the impact on the environment and climate change. I am very glad that we set a positive example for other companies and that we provide them with a signpost and encouragement by showing that highly responsible management and investments can achieve business success through sustainable development. We take our mission and goals seriously and responsibly and each one of our employees works on their fulfillment every day. Our work and our products are the basis for every pore of life, and their production requires significant resources that we strive to use in the best possible way.

All the projects I went through together with our people are important to me and deeply etched in my memory. A lot of effort has been invested in every part of the production process and business so that the Kakanj Cement Factory would be the pride of all of us who work there today. I especially remember the first large project worth EUR 12m, which we worked on for 24 months in order to permanently solve the problem of dust emissions. The old electrostatic precipitator has been replaced by a new bag deduster whose dedusting efficiency is significantly better. The fact that dust emissions have been reduced by over 99% speaks for itself. Thus began the transformation of our production and our business into a company that is today a leader in sustainable development in BiH and the region.

I always repeat that people are the foundation of every company`s success, because people shape the company. They all have similar equipment and other resources, but what makes the crucial difference are good and well-guided people. The daily improvement in expertise and employee satisfaction is a key factor in the progress of any company. That is why it is very important to invest in employees and develop their skills. In addition to building expertise, it is very important to be motivated to do our job, and that means above all a good work environment in which every employee has the opportunity to express their opinions, suggestions and criticisms. In this way we create an atmosphere of trust, inclusion and prosperity.

Respect and appreciation in the workplace is a key factor in successful work organization. Adaptation and innovation are becoming increasingly important and the more the company is able to adapt to and lead change, the more successful and competitive it will be.

Every kilogram of cement and cubic meter of concrete that our customers buy, their trust in our products and our work, they show a huge recognition for our efforts and the best reward for everything we do and how we do it.

In short: we want to be greener, we want to be more digital, we want to be more efficient, we want to be bigger and even more successful.

We continue our development based on the principles of sustainability, which means that all our members are equally at the top of our priorities list. Our business strategy is fully based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, so that we have clearly defined goals for further improvement of work and business on the principles of sustainability.

The inviolable quality of our products always comes first, because we make the material from which the future is built. The projects our customers are working on are future-oriented so their needs come first. Our materials are essential for improving living standards, because they are used to build homes, roads, tunnels, roads, schools, everything that is important in our lives. We make the best cement and concrete for the most important foundations and buildings of our future.

Our production and products are based on the principles of sustainable development, which means that in the coming period we will work on new products and services that contribute to reducing CO2 emissions. Such an approach implies even greater use of alternative raw materials as well as alternative fuels.

Safety at work is also our constant priority, and this year we intend to further strengthen awareness of the importance of maintaining health and safe work practices through additional training, because our workers are the foundation of our success.We are continuing the digital transformation project that we started two years ago with even greater intensity. In the first wave, we created a strong infrastructure to improve internal communication, which enabled us to be truly ready to welcome this pandemic.

We continue with the intensive education of our people in all fields of digital transformation, and during this year we will work on the introduction of additional opportunities and tools for our customers to further improve, facilitate and accelerate business processes. Another certainty is our desire to develop and grow, so in that context we will look at the possibilities of additional expansion in the region.