Petrasin Jakovljevic, general manager of Metalac - Lucky are those who love to go home

Petrasin Jakovljevic (Photo: YouTube/screenshot)

He started a relationship with Metalac even before he got his employment booklet. And he has never thought of leaving this company in Gornji Milanovac. Ten years ago, Dragoljub Vukadinovic ceded his position to Mr. Jakovljevic and gave him three envelopes to open in a specific order in case certain problems emerge in the business. He cannot confirm whether the story about the notes these envelopes contain is true because he has never opened them. And he does not intend to.

In an interview with eKapija, Metalac General Manager Petrasin Jakovljevic speaks about his life with the company, family values and struggle in crazy times.

After completing secondary technical education, he enrolled in and graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, the Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, because he believed that would make it easier for him to pursue a career in the energy sector. During his studies, he was a Metalac scholar.

- At that time, Metalac was just an average firm in the metal processing industry, and given that I am not from Gornji Milanovac, but from Ivanjica, I could maybe have found a better paid job. However, I had a moral obligation to start working for the company that gave me a scholarship because people there were setting money aside for my education - Jakovljevic recalls.

When he came to the company in the early 1980s, highly educated employees were scarce across all fields. Metalac was a nursery for staff, salaries were relatively small, but good employees were attracted by the possibility of getting an apartment from the company. That was also the time when people changed their job after ten years, which was the minimum period of employment to qualify for the apartment.

Having completed the internship, Petrasin Jakovljevic was appointed as the head of services and, as he recollects, he somehow quickly advanced to a managerial position.

- All people who had already worked there received me very well. That's why I even then had a chance to learn a lot about the factory. After working at Metalac for 2.5-3 years, I was given an opportunity to manage the biggest production plant that employed about 1,000 people at the time. To be honest, I did not have any experience in management. It was a responsible post involving a lot of problems and a large number of employees. That helped me the most in shaping myself as a manager.

He says he has never even thought of leaving Metalac, and what speaks in favor of this is the fact that his career has always been in an upward trend, without any stops or falls.

(winner of the Planeta Biznis award)

- There were maybe moments when I could have accepted another job for a bigger salary, but money has never been a motive for me. My motive was, and still is, to create. I always tell young people they should work and create something and money will come as a result.

Three envelopes

April 2005 saw then General Manager Dragoljub Vukadinovic, the current chairman of the Metalac Holding Managing Board, ceding the position to his long-time first associate and our interlocutor Petrasin Jakovljevic, who also got three envelopes from Mr. Vukadinovic and was told to open them in a specific order if certain problems emerged. Allegedly, the first envelope contains a note reading, "If workers complain about their salary, you must find a way to indulge them, to make promises and fulfill the promised." The note in the second envelope is said to read, "If anything similar occurs again, try to reorganize the company and promise that everything will be better afterwards." And the third note says, "If you've opened the third envelope, write three new notes and put them in envelopes to give to your successor...".

- That's right. These envelopes are still there, none of them is opened, and I do not intend to open them. I've heard these stories, but I don't know for sure what the notes in them really say - our interlocutor notes and adds with a broad smile that he hopes to hand unopened envelopes to his successor.

Since 1985, he has been managing larger groups of people. He likes to have associates who use their own head and are ready to point to his mistakes too.

Jakovljevic adds that problems exist, but it's no use whining about it.

- We are here to solve problems. We've never expected someone will come to help us. Instead, all problems are tackled internally. Board members led by the company president have gathered because they wanted the company to make progress. Interest of the company is above the interest of any individual. What we do here is hard work. It is very difficult to survive in the market.

Metalac has four production plants and is also engaged in trade, exporting products to more than 20 countries. Cookware has been the core business of the company for 56 years now.

- We do a lot of things to keep our employees committed to Metalac and act as one team.

And when he closes the door to his office...

- If a person loves this job and is fully committed to it, then their work day lasts for 24 hours. So many times have I remembered a problem and made a decision right after waking up or while driving a car! I live with Metalac 24 hours a day. Only the committment leads to success.

- By the way, I love to rest at home. And I always say that lucky people are those who love to go home. I used to go fishing often, but it's been two years since I went last time.

He calls himself a lucky man. In his opinion, regardless of how diligent a man is, a bit of luck is necessary nevertheless.

Mr. Jakovljevic thought that one of his two children would stay in Belgrade, where they both studied, but they returned to their home town and now they both work at Metalac. His daughter graduated from the Faculty of Economics and has been working at Metalac for five years now, while his son followed his steps and graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

When asked to comment on the general situation in the country, he says he'd be happy to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but...

- To be honest, I would not like to be young now. That should explain it all.

Jelena Djelic