Czech firms build technological cooperation with Asians in Singapore

29 Mar. 2007 | CzechInvest | The Czech Republic wants to display the high technological level of the country’s engineering sector and, at the same time, support the development of cooperation between Czech and Asian firms through its National Exhibition at the most well-known engineering trade fair in Asia – MTA MetalAsia 2007, which runs through Saturday in Singapore.

The Czech delegation is comprised of representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, CzechInvest and the Association of Engineering Technology, which brings together 40 Czech firms engaged in the production of machine tools, forming machines and measuring instruments.

Major players in the industry from Asia and from around the world are taking part in MetalAsia 2007, which focuses on precision engineering, machine tools and metal-working technology. In addition to Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese firms, German and American companies are also participating in the trade fair.

The Czech Republic is to organise a press conference on the first day of the trade fair in order to familiarise journalists and the expert public with the Czech high-tech engineering sector. “We want to inform trade-fair visitors of the investment opportunities in the Czech Republic,” says Jaromir Cernik, director of CzechInvest’s Southeast Asia office in Hong Kong. “The Czech Republic has something to offer to investors and trading partners. The country ranks 14th among the world's largest machine-tool manufacturers and seventh in Europe in terms of production and exports."

“Czech firms are characterized by creative solutions in design, organization and control of industrial production. Industry and engineering are currently experiencing a boom in the Czech Republic, which is primarily in connection with investments in the automotive industry, where great emphasis is placed on robotic solutions and automation,” says Tomas Hruda, CEO of CzechInvest, describing the current trends in this field.Following the joint investment of Toyota and PSA Peugeot Citroën in the new TPCA factory in the Czech Republic, the Korean carmaker Hyundai announced its intention last year to invest in the country.

Czech engineering is underpinned by the country’s universities. “In comparison with the rest of the world, the Czech Republic has a very large proportion of technical-school graduates in relation to the general population. As a result of this, I believe there is huge potential for cooperation between Asian firms and Czech universities and research firms,” Hruda concludes. For example, the Research Centre of Manufacturing Technologies at the Mechanical Engineering Faculty of the Czech Technical University in Prague (CVUT) has research projects involving virtual machine-tool testing, high-speed machining and automatic manipulation in production machines and manufacturing systems.

Brands such as TOS, MAS, ZPS, SKODA and SMERAL are well-known around the world. “The tradition of Czech engineering is a good calling card when doing business on the world market,” says Frantisek Hejny of the Association of Engineering Technology. Czech manufacturers have recently been focusing their attention on the countries of Southeast Asia, which are attractive due to their dynamic growth and enormous potential. During the trade fair, representatives of the Association of Engineering Technology plan an informal meeting with partners from the Singapore Precision Engineering & Tooling Association (SPETA).