Text: Lenka Ďurišová
Together!
We will remember June 19, 2025 for a long time at FINIDR. We celebrated a huge milestone at our printing plant – the five hundred millionth book produced. And it wasn’t just numbers and statistics, but a real celebration of all of us who contributed to it.
The entire printing plant fell silent so that history could speak
FINIDR runs like a well-oiled clock 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We are all very familiar with the rhythmic beating of the machines, which welcomes us when we come to work and bids us farewell when we go home.
Sometimes, however, it is really worth turning off all the machines and taking a moment to look back and celebrate what we have achieved together. At 10 a.m., we stopped production and gathered for a ceremonial christening in Hall D. In his speech, Jaroslav Drahoš emphasized that this success is not only his or the management’s, but the work of all of us: “Printing 500 million books is not just a number. It is the work of thousands of people who have passed through FINIDR. It is proof that even a company from Český Těšín can grow into a European-scale enterprise.”
We were also happy to welcome our Srdcaře – colleagues who are already retired but still keep in touch with FINIDR. About fifty of them came, and you could feel that they shared our pride, as if they were still working here. After all, it is thanks to their work that we were able to celebrate this exceptional milestone together.
A book delivered by drone
The anniversary title was Bloody Games by author Katy Crown, published by German publishing house Wonda Versum. And why was it delivered by drone? The final step in the production of this book was trimming at FINIDR B. But how to get the book to the building two kilometers away on Lípová Street, where hundreds of employees were eagerly awaiting the book launch? The shortest route is always the one through the air. And in this case, we took that literally.
So, the anniversary book didn’t arrive by land for the launch, but flew in by drone. We all watched it with excitement – and when it landed right in the hands of our owner Jaroslav Drahoš, the hall erupted in applause. It was a powerful moment and also a reminder that even though we manufacture in historic buildings, we are moving with the times.
Another wave of applause rang out when the book was christened by sales representative Michaela Jaškovská and our sales director Miroslav Klos.
After the christening, we enjoyed a delicious lunch, select coffee from Komunita – Coffee House, and ice cream from the food truck provided by our partner CNI Tisk Servis. It was wonderful to see everyone enjoying their time together – colleagues from different departments, people from both production plants, management, and guests. And as a small memento of the day, each of us took home a gift package.
Together we did it
Looking back, it is difficult to comprehend the magnitude of this number. Five hundred million books – that’s more than the entire population of the European Union. “It’s as if we gave every person in Europe a story from Český Těšín,” noted Jaroslav Drahoš in a personal letter that every Finidr emploee received on this occasion.
FINIDR celebrated its 31st anniversary this year. During that time, we have experienced good times and crises, rising energy prices and material shortages. But we never stopped. We stuck to our motto, “Responsibly, with quality and on time,” and together we have worked our way to where we are today.
Jaroslav Drahoš summed it up simply and accurately in the letter that each of us received: “The printing plant in Těšín is not just a place on the map—it is a living organism. And you are its heart.”
June 19, 2025, was not just about one book. It was about all of us. About the people who make up FINIDR – whether today or in the past. And above all, it was about the fact that when we pull together, we can achieve great things.
