Promet Group and STV INVEST form strategic ownership partnership for Tatra Trucks
Engineering group Promet Group, co-owner of Tatra Trucks, has agreed to sell a 50% stake in its company Promet Tools to STV INVEST.
Promet Tools holds a 35% stake in Tatra Trucks. STV INVEST Group, one of the key players in the Czech defence industry, will thus become the owner of 17.5% of the shares in the legendary Czech vehicle manufacturer. The transaction is subject to the approval of the Office for the Protection of Competition, the amount of which has not been commented on by the two groups.
"Tatra is a matter of heart for our family. We have been involved in its success story for twelve years. We care about its future and we want to help it continue to develop. I am therefore very pleased that we have found a new partner for Tatra who is ready to use his know-how and contacts to maintain and develop the production programme in Kopřivnice and bring it new orders, especially in the defence industry. This is one of the few areas with a bright future in today's uncertain times," said Denisa Materová, CEO of Promet Group, on the entry of STV Group into the Tatra shareholder structure.
"We are proud to associate our name with the Tatra brand and Promet Group. Our long-term goal is to develop production in the Czech Republic, to elevate Czech industry and to ensure its sovereignty in supply to strengthen our defence. In the long term, we are mainly engaged in the production of ammunition of various calibers. However, we are also growing in the segment of modernisation and overhaul of heavy military vehicles. At the same time, we are preparing the production of our own weapon attachments. We believe that by combining our know-how and experience with military equipment, we will be able to significantly increase the efficiency of Tatra's operations and strengthen the industrial base of the Czech Republic," commented Martin Drda, co-owner and Chairman of the Board of STV INVEST, on the new acquisition.
The cooperation between the two groups builds on previous cooperation on other projects, which are expected to grow in number and scope. This will leverage the commercial and production synergies between these major players in Czech industry.
"We are looking forward to this new chapter for us and Tatra, which we want to help further develop production in Kopřivnice. We now consider the negotiations with the majority shareholder and the management of the automotive company to be crucial. Our mutual cooperation is the basis for the success of our plans," adds Martin Drda.
"I see the entry of the STV Group, a strong capital partner in the defence industry, as a strategic step that opens up new opportunities for Tatra's development. At the same time, it is an important step that should help to straighten out mutual relations between the original shareholders and expand the product portfolio. We made it because we care about the company and the employees who work there. We want to take an active part in the successful continuation of the story of this strong Czech brand," added Denisa Materová.
Basic information about Promet Group and STV INVEST
PROMET GROUP a.s. is the engineering group of the Matera family, which represents more than forty companies operating in metallurgy and engineering in addition to the core engineering sector. According to Forbes magazine, it has long been one of the largest Czech family-owned companies. The companies in the group employ over four thousand employees in the Czech Republic and abroad. The group is headquartered in Ostrava. It has plants mainly in Moravia, for example TAWESCO in Kopřivnice. Other plants are located in Nový Jičín, Paskov, Petřvald, Vsetín, but also in Pečky in Central Bohemia, Úvaly near Prague and Slavonski Brod in Croatia. Customers of the individual divisions are leading European automotive companies, manufacturers of handling and agricultural equipment, foundries and steelworks. The Group also co-owns with Czechoslovak Group and CE Industries the truck manufacturer TATRA TRUCKS and the Croatian manufacturer of railway freight wagons ĐURO ĐAKOVIĆ.
STV INVEST a.s. of the Drdů family is one of the largest Czech holding groups, bringing together mainly companies focused on the production of ammunition and the modernisation and overhaul of heavy military vehicles. In 2024, it acquired the Slovak company Matador Industries (now STV Machinery), which develops and manufactures components for heavy armoured vehicles and engineering units for military use. STV Group companies are leading suppliers to the Czech Army and other alliance armies, as well as to third country customers.
TATRA TRUCKS a.s. is one of the oldest car manufacturers in the world with a history of more than 170 years. Today, the Kopřivnice automotive company is a world-famous manufacturer of trucks. It supplies them for civil segments such as construction, mining, municipal services and agriculture, as well as for customers in the firefighting, rescue and defence sectors. Both in the Czech Republic and abroad. It is part of the industrial-technological holding Czechoslovak Group and the engineering group Promet Group.