CZ Yearbook 2019 /eng

| 5 Over the last few years, Česká zbrojovka a.s. has continuous- ly shown excellent economic results. Has this trend followed since last year and what are the prospects for the next pe- riod? You are right, the results of our company are excellent and the word continuous is certainly fit- ting. The last period that began in 2007 can truly be regarded as a period of constant growth, unhindered even by the global financial crisis, an extreme phe- nomenon such as it is. Looking back to 2018, we con- tinued the existing trend and showed record results with an- other year-on-year improve- ment. To be specif ic: we sold 380,000 guns, with about 90 percent of that accounting for export. Our company trades with around 100 countries, the largest export regions are Eu- rope, Thailand, Canada and above all, the USA. The US market has been of pivotal importance for CZ for a long time. In 2018, there were some changes concerning this region. Can you give us more details? The US market became familiar with our company and prod- ucts thanks to our subsidiary, CZ-USA, which was established there in 1997. Eight years later we bought Dan Wesson Firearms, the manufacturer of revolvers We strive to be a strong partner for our customers An interview with the CEO of Česká zbrojovka a.s., Ing. Ladislav Britaňák, MBA and the legendary Dan Wesson 1911 pistols. However, we knew that if we wanted to expand fur- ther on this market, we would have to look for new directions. We have thereforemade the de- cision to manufacture our guns directly in the USA. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fire- arms and Explosives that awards points to guns for key proper- ties and parameters. If the giv- en product doesn’t satisfy the requirements, it has no chance of being imported. One other important reason to transfer the production is also theBuy Amer- ican Act. This Act stipulates the terms and conditions for sup- plying federal institutions. If we wish to supply our guns, more than half of the value of the gun must be manufactured in USA. For us, being on the US market is not just a prestigious matter, it also holds a great potential, hence, it makes sense to build a production capacity here too. Traditionally, CZ has always been a significant export- er. However, experience has shown that selling is not enough anymore. How has this fact changed your company’s attitude towards the customer? The superior quality of the latest CZ weapons is reflected in the expansionof the sales network to more than 100 countries world- wide, as well as the ever-growing list of references from our happy customers. Many of them opt to purchase f rom a comprehen- sive product portfolio because from the economical and logis- tic point of view, it makes more sense, as in addition to guns, such a portfoliowill also include a range of accessories, all-inclusive services or targeted training. Last year our company made the first CZ gun at our Kansas City facility. Besides other things, thismeans that this gunmay be offered and supplied to the US federal armed forces. It probably comes as no surprise that the model inquestion is our popular pistol, the P-10. It is well-known that the Ameri- cans protect their market much more rigorously than other countries. Consequently, we had to meet the requirements of the