The Czechoslovak Group (CSG) is a holding company that continues the tradition of the Czechoslovak industry. It supports the development of traditional Czech and Slovak companies engaged in defence and civil industrial production and trade. CSG holding companies export their products and services to more than 70 countries and currently employ more than 8,200 people in all their plants and branches. In 2021, the holding generated consolidated sales of CZK 14.4 billion.
CSG’s core businesses are engineering, automotive, rail, aerospace and defence. The CSG companies’ products can be found on all continents thanks to the strong export orientation of the holding, and the number of its customers is growing. The product portfolio is diverse: from watches and train brakes to trucks. Radar and navigation systems for the civil and defence industry are equally important areas.
The holding companies have a similar focus and are merged into divisions. This divisional structure enables efficient management and an effective search for synergies across their individual members. The holding has five divisions: CSG Aerospace, CSG Defence, CSG Rail, CSG Automotive and CSG Business Projects.
CSG Aerospace was the first division to be established, bringing together eight Czech and Slovak companies operating in the aerospace industry. The division’s companies are involved in civil aircraft repair, pilot training, radar and air traffic control software.
This year, the CSG Aerospace division introduced the first joint product resulting from cross-company development. It is CSG Unmanned, a software system that will enable the integration of drones into air transport. This service will be particularly welcomed by e-commerce store owners and customers, as it will enable easy and safe delivery of orders.
The central company of the CSG Automotive division is Tatra Trucks, the flagship of the holding and the third oldest automotive company in the world, which has been writing its history for more than 170 years.
The CSG Defence division brings together companies that operate in the defence industry. CSG has a strong position, especially in ground equipment and ammunition production. Here, too, the companies cooperate. The basis of the ground equipment is the Tatra chassis; the key products of the division come from Excalibur Army and Tatra Defence Vehicle. Ammunition production is mainly carried out by companies incorporated into MSM, the Slovak branch of CSG Holding. Their portfolio is suitably complemented by the Spanish company Fábrica de Municiones de Granada, a company with more than 700 years of tradition.
The CSG Rail division is based on DAKO-CZ, one of three European manufacturers of braking systems and components for rail vehicles. With more than two centuries of tradition, the company forms the division together with several subsidiaries. In 2022, it established two joint ventures in India, where it has been generating a significant turnover percentage for several years.
The fifth division, CSG Business Projects, consists of companies that do not fit directly into the holding’s core business areas but still represent an interesting opportunity. A typical member of this division is ELTON hodinářská, a manufacturer of traditional Czech Prim watches. Still, it also includes, for example, Prague Fertility Centre, a clinic dedicated to in vitro fertilisation.
The basis of CSG Holding’s business is to develop individual companies and divisions further and to look for interesting acquisitions in the Czech Republic and abroad. Those that could enrich the individual divisions or represent an attractive business opportunity. The holding targets mainly medium-sized companies with an interesting product and production programme that do not have a succession plan, and membership in a strong industrial-technological holding could move them to a higher level.
