CZ Yearbook 2019 /eng

96 | | 97 2016 CZ BREN 2 assault rifle enters production In the development of the second generation of CZ assault rifles, the company cooperated with members of elite Special Forces and used state-of the-art technologies. Their design was based on the soldiers’ experience of the CZ 805 BREN mod- el in combat. The CZ BREN 2 is a highly advanced individual multi-calibre weapon in 5.56×45 NATO and 7.62×39 calibres, with an option to be con- figured to meet the requirements of any mission anywhere in the world. The first customer was the Army of the Czech Republic. 2018 Changes within management At the start of the year, CZ saw some changes in its organizational structure. The aim of these is to make the best of the company’s potential, increase the produc- tion volume and speed up work on projects of strategic importance. The new CEO is Ing. Ladislav Britaňák, MBA. 2017 Further growth and expansion As a result of the success of the new generation of CZ weapons, Česká zbrojovka a.s. now employs over 1,900 people. Moreover, the company has expanded into more than 100 countries around the world. In addition, a licensing agreement was signed for the manufacture of CZ service weapons in Hungary in March 2018. The major milestone of 2017 was the CZ P-10 C model entering production. It is the first member of a brand new family of striker-fired pistols, in comparison with rival models, the CZ P-10 C boasts many innovative features and offers superb user properties. 2018 CZ Group Holding established As of 2018, CZ has become a member of the international CZ Group Holding. In addition to the mother company in Uherský Brod, the holding company will grad- ually incorporate other companies that engage in manufacturing and develop- mental programs of similar nature. The President of the CZ Group Holding is Ing. Lubomír Kovařík, MBA. CZ 75 SP-01 SHADOW pistol enters production The start of the production of the competition-focused variant of the popular CZ 75 SP- 01, the Shadow, was a significant milestone in the development of CZ. Parts of this ex- ceptional all-steel pistol, also popular with the Armed Forces and for personal defence, have been subsequently used in other CZ pistols. Until the arrival of the CZ SHADOW 2 in 2016, the original Shadow dominated the Production Division in IPSC. The Shadow triumphed inmany events, but one of the most successful achievements has to be two World Champion titles, won by Adam Tyc. 2006 Number of CZ 75 models reaches a million After the establishment of Česká zbrojovka a.s. in 1992, pistols from the CZ 75/85 mod- el series became the company’s flagship products. It was reflected in a significant increase of the production volume as well as in the expansion of the portfolio by new variants, such as sport specials, compacts and subcompacts. Thus in the autumn of 2007, Uherský Brod saw a celebratory assembly of the millionth CZ 75, with all the vari- ants taken into account. Where just the standard size CZ 75/85 pistol is concerned, the manufacture surpassed a million in 2014. 2007 Success of CZ service weapons on global markets During 2015, CZ employed around 1,800 people and produced 235,526 weapons. Its consolidated profit was CZK 4,190,000,000 (70% of that was profit from sales abroad). Until then, the record profit had been CZK 450,000,000. Such a phenomenal result was due to the success of the CZ P-07 pistols, CZ 75 pistol evergreens, CZ 455 rimfire rifles and CZ service weapons, and above all, the CZ SCORPION EVO 3 submachine gun. 2015 2006 Development of new generation CZ service weapons launched Since its founding, CZ has maintained a close fo- cus on weapons for the Armed Forces. However, in 1992 it was forced to cut down on the development and production of automatic firearms as a result of the political and economic situation. Then in 2006, there came a turning point for the company with the new management making a decision to once again put the main focus of the business on the manufacture of service weapons. It was a pivotal moment in the modern history of the brand. 2011 Entry to the Armed Forces weapons market, start of the rearmament of the Czech Republic Army This yearmarks the beginning of serial production of a new generation of CZ assault rifles, submachine guns and grenade launchers. The first success in this field comes with the complete rearmament of the Czech Republic Army. The company supplies the Army with CZ 805 BREN A1/A2 assault rifles, CZ 80 BREN G1 gre- nade launchers, CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 submachine guns and CZ 75 SP-01 PHANTOM pistols. 2016 Assembly plant opened in Peru In 2016, CZ expanded into another foreign market when it opened a separate part for the assembly and repairs of CZ weapons in the Peruvian military fac- tory FAME, in Lima. As part of the project, the Czech company supplied its modern equipment as well as tools, and provided training for the technical staff. The Peruvian company thus got the opportunity to assemble Czech weapons and provide servicing and sales, firstly on the local market and then all over Latin America. It was the first time CZ transferred its technologies into this up-and-coming region.