“Oneof our keysuccess factors
is theexcellent partnershipwe
havewithour customers.”
Jiri Petránek, GeneralManager of FestoCzechRepublic
2013, the countryhadovercome its temporary recession
by theautumnof 2013. In thefirst quarter of 2014, GDPgrewby
2.5per cent. For 2014, theCzechNational Bank (CNB) ispredict-
ingan increaseof 2.6per cent,witha3.3per cent rise in2015.
The fall inGDP in2012and2013wasdue to, amongother things,
weakdomesticdemandand cuts ingovernment spending.
Foreign trade, on theother hand, continued togrow, albeit less
strongly than inpreviousyears. TheEuropeanCommissionhas
forecast growthof 2.5per cent inGDP for theCzechRepublic for
2014,witha further increaseof 2.7per cent growthper year for
2015and2016. Thisgrowthwill bedrivenaboveall byexports.
For example, according to theNational StatisticsOffice, exports
rose in July2014by18.3per cent compared to thepreviousyear.
Growingprivate consumptionand rising realwageswill alsohelp
to further stabilise theeconomy in2015.
Highdemand inmachinebuilding
TheCzechRepublic isaparticularly importantmarket andpro-
duction location formachinebuilders. Evenduring the recent
economic crisis, demand remainedhigh, according toGermany
Trade& Invest, especially formachines for theenergysector, the
chemical industryand theautomotive industry. Czechmanufac-
turersof capital goodsproducemainly for export. Germany
Trade& Invest sees thegreatestmarket potential in theautomo-
tive industry, environmental engineeringandmachinebuilding.
Therearepositive forecasts for thechemical andelectrical engin
eering industries, informationand communication technology,
medical technology, logistics, constructionandmetallurgy.
Festowas there right from thestart
Festoestablishedapresence in theCzechRepublic immediately
after the fall of the“iron curtain”. Festos.r.o.was founded in
Prague in1990. Today, 74staff in theareasof technology, cus-
tomer serviceand industrial educationprovide customers in the
CzechRepublicwithautomation componentsandknow-how.
Among Festo’smost important industrysegmentsare theauto-
motive industry, followedbyspecialmachinebuildersand tool-
makers. Festosells individual componentsand complete ready-
to-install solutionsmatched to the individual needsof the
customer,while FestoDidacticprovides companiesandeduca-
tional institutionswith comprehensiveknowledgeof all aspects
ofmodernautomation.
