People are the most valuable asset of our company
Published 31/10/2018
Precision. It is perhaps the most important word for Sargasas. It couldn’t be any other way because precision is what determines the company’s success. For more than a decade, Sargasas has been raising precision engineering standards in the production of high precision components for various devices.
Sargasas’ achievements and its excellent reputation are best proven by long-standing partnerships with laser manufacturers. It is known that Lithuanian companies are among the world leaders in manufacturing of laser parts. The company supplies mechanical components to laser manufacturers, i.e. the components that are used in lasers’ constructions.
According to Sargasas head Rimantas Šileikis, laser manufacturers are imposing huge requirements, which can only be achieved by perfectly understanding their work.
“In April, our company will be eleven years old. This means we have a great work experience. We started communicating with the first clients in the field of lasers long time ago. At first they offered us just a try, to see if we were able to deliver. However, there are huge requirements for accuracy, cleanliness. Freshly made parts must be perfectly clean. No spots or dirt. I won’t even start about accuracy. When placed in the laser, these parts (e.g. housings, holders for optical devices) must be clean from any organic particles, as they would damage the entire device , “he said.
It took a lot of time and patience to gain confidence and cultivate our competences. There were moments when we thought about giving up. However, we were stubborn and eventually made it.
“In the very beginning, we were really careful. We needed to know what kind of clients we were working for. It seemed that we knew the exact details of their orders, the quality of the surfaces, the terms. But laser industry has its own specific requirements that we only managed to meet with time. There were both stumbling and painful crashes. However, all of it has paid off. Today we don’t have such problems. We have already mastered these processes, “says R. Šileikis.
To achieve the required precision level is only possible with right equipment. According to the head of the company, Sargasas doesn’t save money at the expense of equipment and performs clients’ orders with the most advanced machinery.
“Today, we have a set of decent equipment. It’s hard to imagine working in optimechanics without a machine with the five axes or without an automatic measuring machine. Robots and 3D printers are also waiting their turn.
However, the devices are one thing. The whole different thing is people, and they are even more important than the equipment. According to R. Šileikis there’s no question about people being the most important assets of the company.
“Maybe it’s going to sound like a bold statement, but people are our main asset. We grow our team by ourselves. In total, we have 35 employees, 22 of which have an education. Not everyone can work with the milling machine. This requires technical knowledge, experience, imagination – it’s not that easy to read the drawings. Training a good specialist takes a year, “says Sargasas.
It is not surprising that the main investments of the company are focused on the development of employees. This is not always an easy task, but the efforts usually pay off.
“Growing takes time. Change is inevitable. The biggest pain for us is the fear of losing people. You do not want to be just a temporary stop. Therefore, we try to motivate them. We pay salaries that are well above the national average. Moreover, our team is very young. I myself will sometimes stand suprised, seeing 23 to 25 year old boys working the machine. But we need to invest in them and train them, “says R. Šileikis, adding he is very proud of his team and company’s achievements abroad. These moments prove that long-term efforts bring results.
Originally published in: www.statybuniepienos.lt, 2016-01-13