Uhersky Brod, South Moravia, May 29 (CTK) – Firearms maker Ceska zbrojovka group made a record Kc625m profit last year, up almost Kc28m against 2016, and its revenues were also record, they grew from Kc4,101bn to Kc4.523bn, vice-president for external communication Radek Haureland told CTK today.
The company’s financial statement was approved at today’s general meeting.
Revenues and profit grew thanks to higher production. The company sold again more than 300,000 guns last year and exports contributed some 90 percent to the sales.
Ceska zbrojovka group exports products to around 100 countries and the most important export territories are Europe, Thailand, Canada and in particular the USA.
This year in spring, Hungarian state-owned arms producer M.o.D. Arzenal bought a licence from Ceska zbrojovka group for the production of 200,000 handguns for EUR100m (Kc2.57bn).
The production concerns pistols, submachine guns and combat guns, they will be used mainly by the Hungarian military. Within the ten-year licence, the Hungarian company will produce P-07/09 pistols, Scorpion submachine guns and CZ Bren 2 combat guns.
In the first stage, components supplied from the Czech Republic will be assembled in Hungary. Production of whole guns will start next year.
In the past months, Ceska zbrojovka group introduced several new products, among them CZ TSR sniper rifle, primarily for military use. Among pistols, CZ P-10 C OR and CZ Shadow 2 OR models are new.
Ceska zbrojovka group is successful also in civilian production, it is involved in the automotive and aviation industries. The company employs some 1,874 people at the moment and is constantly raising workforce.
EHC CZUB company, controlled by Rene Holecek, holds 90 percent in Ceska zbrojovka and the remaining 10 percent is in the hands of members of the board of directors.
The company started operation in 1936. Now apart from the parent plant in Uhersky Brod, it has also production plants in Brno, Slovakia and the USA.