Czech aerospace firms discuss possible cooperation in the United States

15 May. 2015 | CzechInvest | The delegation was accompanied by Minister of Industry and Trade Jan Mládek and CzechInvest CEO Karel Kučera.

Representatives of thirteen Czech aerospace manufacturers and associations visited the United States in order to meet with their counterparts there. At the Czech Aerospace Conferences organised by CzechInvest in New York and Washington, the members of delegation led by Minister of Industry and Trade Jan Mládek presented their products and services in the aerospace industry.

“There is generally strong demand for production capacities in the aerospace sector and the United States is a key player. The decisions of firms like Honeywell and GE Aviation to invest in the Czech Republic draws more attention to the country and to Czech firms, which is why we initiated the conferences,” explains Karel Kučera, CEO of CzechInvest, who accompanied Minister Mládek on the trip.“American investors are among the most active in the Czech Republic and generally invest in sectors with high value added. In 2014 alone, we registered American investments in the total value of more than three billion crowns, which in future will lead to the creation of nearly three thousand jobs.”

Czech companies such as Aero Vodochody, Frentech Aerospace and PBS Velká Bíteš met with their American counterparts on 13 May 2015 in Washington, where representatives of the American firms Honeywell, GE Aviation and Bell Helicopter presented their reasons for selecting the Czech Republic and their experience doing business there. A similar conference was held the next day in New York. The event was included in the programme of the prestigious Word Trade Week festival, for which the American president issues a proclamation every year.

The Czech firms’ expedition to the United States was undertaken in accordance the government’s economic diplomacy strategy. The conferences were organised by CzechInvest in cooperation with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in the United States and the Czech consulate general in New York. Both of the conferences received support from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), an American organisation whose members have visited the Czech Republic and local firms on several occasions, seeing first-hand the high level of the local aerospace industry. “The willingness of GAMA to assist with organising our events is evidence that the Czech aerospace industry is very popular in the United States,” says Petr Gandalovič, Czech ambassador to the United States.

“Among American firms, the Czech aerospace sector holds a position comparable to that of the leading aerospace producers,” adds Martin Dvořák, Czech consul general in New York.

In connection with their visit to the United States, CzechInvest CEO Karel Kučera and Minister of Industry and Trade Jan Mládek also met with several investors that are already operating in the Czech Republic. Kučera and Mládek discussed current activities and possible future projects with representatives of firms such as Aviation, Amazon, Bell Helicopter, Xerox and Honeywell.