Chance favours the prepared mind

At that time, I simply decided that I wanted electrodialysis – and that we would start producing membranes for electrodialysis. And of course, you can be as capable as you like, but to achieve great things, you need a team of capable people. So, I had to build a team of people I could work with.

At that time, the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague was at the forefront in the field of plastics and polymer processing. That’s where I had my most important colleagues and contacts. We worked closely with chemical engineers such as Bleha, Civín, Martin Ondrušek, Kúdela, and Vacík from the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, along with several others. In short, I was trying to build a team of people with whom we could truly develop this together.

I’d hate to forget anyone, but the most prominent ones who were interested in this field at the time included, for example, Jan Němeček and Jaroslav Hadrava…

In cooperation with the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, we managed to produce the first membrane at that time. It was more of a sample – it measured 10×10 centimetres, maybe 20×20 at most. Everyone started saying, “We have a membrane, we’ve finally figured it out…”

But that wasn’t the end of it, was it?

I said, “Well, we may have some kind of membrane sample here, but we don’t actually have a membrane. We still need to manufacture it. We need to bring it into an industrial process.” And in that regard, I recalled my discussions with Professor Wichterle, who also worked at the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry.

Otto Wichterle was the father of contact lenses. And I had discussions with him. For example, we talked about what a huge leap it is from an idea and an initial concept, a first sample, to actually being able to implement that idea on an industrial scale. That’s a real struggle – it’s something entirely different. Basically, the team I had around me focused mainly on transferring what we already knew how to do in the lab into something larger. And it wasn’t just about the membrane itself – it was also about the device. I don’t know, maybe 20×10 or 20×20. The device we used to insert the membranes into, and so on. But if we wanted to create an application that would solve a real-world problem, we essentially had to bring the membrane into industrial science and into industry. And that was a huge challenge.

Of course, the entire team was absolutely essential to me, which is why I chose its members very carefully.

Were there moments when you wanted to give up on the development?

I never give up on anything. Absolutely not. That’s just not my style.

I remember there were times when even my colleagues were saying, “No, we can’t do this.” They were a bit pessimistic. And still, I’d call them—sometimes even on a Friday—and say, “I have an idea how to improve it tomorrow at work.” And no one said a word.

You see? We were simply enthusiastic. Or rather, I pulled them into the problem so much that they got caught up in it, too. And I think, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I feel that this is something the younger generation doesn't quite have anymore. That ability to get excited and fully commit to something, to not worry about time and so on. Today, the trend is more like, yes, work well, sure, but also have time to rest, have fun and everything. But that doesn’t work. If you want to achieve great things, that’s just not how it works. You can’t just work eight hours a day. Everyone must decide for themselves whether they want A or they want B.

There’s probably also a big difference between being an employee and having something of your own – you always put more of your heart into it.

You don’t necessarily have to own something outright – if you see that what you’re doing helps move the company forward, that’s also incredibly important. That’s why I can’t stand it when someone comes and says something can’t be done. There is always, always a way. I’m not saying everything is completely solvable – that’s not true either. Sometimes it really isn’t possible, for various reasons. But you just must try. If someone came and said, “I tried options A, B, C, D, I tested this and that, but now I’m truly stuck and need help,” – that’s something else entirely. But if someone just tells me, “It can’t be done,” – oh boy, I’m ready to jump out of my chair…

How long did it take before you could say the membrane really worked?

Well, we had reached the stage where we were still operating at a laboratory level. We had a lab-scale membrane, a lab-scale device, and we were trying to move toward actual production. So, we visited various factories to look at machines used for processing plastics and films, to understand how things are done. And we consulted with lots of people. Eventually, we concluded that the right technology for us would be extrusion. That means preparing a suitable mixture. First, you need the right ion-exchange resin, grind it properly, mix it correctly, and so on, then prepare granules that can be extruded to form a film.

At one point, things started to work out. So, we tried to push it through to completion. And the result was that in 1985, we launched industrial production here at MEGA. In 1985, we were capable of manufacturing membranes and essentially building an industrial-scale unit. Even so, not many people believed we could actually do electrodialysis on an industrial level. So, in the end, we convinced the General Director of Uran company to purchase an electrodialysis unit from the Japanese company Asahi Glass, which was a market leader at the time. Next to it, we installed what they used to call the “Novák Unit” – our own unit. And we used the same solutions in both systems, and everything worked. I have to say, though, that after a year, the Japanese unit started to fail, and ours kept running for another ten years.

So, with that, we proved, not only to ourselves, but to others as well, that we were capable of industrially producing not only the membranes, but also the equipment and the entire technology.

Did you have someone who was a professional role model for you?

My conversations with Professor Wichterle meant a lot to me. And after that? It’s hard to name just one person. I’ll have to think about it some more… Professor Nývlt also gave me a lot and was a real inspiration. He was the head of the European Crystallization Group. I think he was someone who truly inspired me, and I believe he also helped steer me in the right direction. Him… I could thank him. He even used to scold me all the time. Because, of course, when I was young, I wasn’t like I am now. It was all about women, wine, and song. And he always used to say: “You have such talent in this field, but you’ve got all this other stuff going on – sports, and this, and that. Focus! Focus on science and the things that matter.”

When he criticized me, he really meant it. They even wrote it in my evaluation – that I was someone with a wide range of interests and that I should focus all that energy into just one thing… But I didn’t want that either. I didn’t want to be just some dry academic. I did a lot of sports, I competed in dance, and all sorts of other things. I was actually quite active.

Well, you’re still active today, and I find that really inspiring.

Well, I think it’s important, not just for me, but for life in general. Look, I get up at half past four, sometimes quarter to five. I’m here by around 6:30, and I leave at various times, but usually not before four or five in the afternoon. Then I get home, and I sit down at the computer – though usually I can’t, because I still must do something in the garden, and so on.

And of course, I still want to improve the company. So, simply put, as long as I live, I’ll keep pushing it forward.

Could you also tell us how the name RALEX came about?

Well, Ralex was created from the words Ralsko and Export. I thought these membranes were going to be exported all over the world, delivered as part of our technologies. So: Ralsko + Export = RALEX.

I’d say that unless someone has truly experienced it, they won’t understand. Because going from research to real-world implementation, there’s such a huge gap. There are so many things you must deal with that you never even imagined.

Achieving progress in laboratory research is, of course, important and significant. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to implement it, to make the transfer to industrial scale. That’s the hardest part, and that’s where most people fail. Or they don’t even want to try, because suddenly you’re dealing with completely different things.

May I ask how many hours a day you used to work back then?

Well, look, I was working all the time, even at home. My daughter, who works here at the company, could tell you that. Back then, they weren’t even allowed to use the phone at home because I was getting reports from Moravia on Saturdays and Sundays and so on… But if I think about it, in the office I was there from six to six. I used to take the shift bus back then; I didn’t even have a car yet. Took the shift bus home, so twelve hours, and then more work at home. So, I don’t know, fifteen, sixteen hours a day. Pretty much all the time.

Of course, not every single day. I also spent time with my family and so on. But I really had to immerse myself in it. And the people who worked with me on the team, they had to accept that, too. I didn’t even have to tell them to come to work on Saturday. I’d just say something like, “I don’t believe this, damn it – this has to work. I’ll be here tomorrow; I want to take another look at it.” That’s all I said. And they all showed up. These people really stood by me, and we truly were a great team. That’s important too. Nowadays, that’s actually quite rare.

Having a good team? It’s true that nowadays individuality tends to prevail.

Exactly—that’s what I’m saying. You need to have a team around you…

Once, I had a conversation with Professor Wichterle about chance. Sometimes, suddenly, you discover something, and it feels almost like chance. But we both agreed: chance favours only the prepared. You must be ready even for chance. If you’re not prepared, if you lack the knowledge and everything else, then that chance just passes you by. You can’t grab it by the hair, so to speak, and shape it into something useful. So yes, chance plays a role in research too, but above all, it’s focused and systematic work. We basically proved that we were competitive on a global level.

But I’d put it this way – if you want to see something through to the end, there must be passion, enthusiasm, heart. But of course, it can’t be just enthusiasm. It also must be earned. The hours must be there. Without that, it won’t work. If someone thinks a great idea will just appear and that’s it… That’s just the mother of ideas; she comes to visit me too [laughs]. But that’s only the beginning.

Do you have a personal motto?

My motto is to create value. To create something, I can actually see. That’s what I’ve always tried to do. For example, a company has a problem, and we say, “We believe we can solve it.” Alright, then we invest money into it and solve it together. And the researchers, for instance, can see and be confident that if we succeed, the company will actually implement the solution. And that’s the most important thing for a researcher: when they see their work and ideas being put into practice.

So, my motto is also to keep moving forward. To keep progressing. To create real technologies, real things that can be applied in practice.

Let’s slowly wrap things up with one last question: What keeps you motivated to remain such an active part of the company?

You sound just like my wife right now. [laughs] She always used to say that the company is like my child, which is true. But the work fulfils me. I’m simply the kind of person who always needs to be creating something, doing something. Even if we don’t have a solution yet, I already have an idea of how it could be done.

And the fact that I still come to work, there are two reasons for that. The first is what I already told you: I just need it. It’s not even about driving the company forward anymore. I don’t deal with the commercial side much these days.

So that’s the first thing. And the second is that I get to spend time with young people, like now, with you. And I think that’s a good thing, too. I believe that’s what keeps me from ageing too fast or going soft in the head. I’m turning 80 soon, and when I see people my age sitting on benches, talking about what hurts… I don’t want to be like that. Not yet. Not for a little while.

13. 8. 2025