The military group STV is strengthening with Slovakia

“By acquiring this large Slovak engineering company with valuable experience and highly qualified employees, the STV group is moving from a Czech supplier of military equipment repair to the position of a military equipment manufacturer in the Central Europe. This gives STV new capabilities and opportunities in the field of manufacturing parts and units for heavy military equipment, which we want to further develop. 240 highly qualified employees work for MATADOR Industries, it has high-quality machines and more than 35,000 m2 of production space, which greatly expands the total production capacity of the group. In addition, we also believe that Matador could be involved in military projects in Slovakia. In the future, the production of heavy combat equipment could be located in Dubnica, because with Matador we also get the ability to produce large, complex metal units. ” Martin Drda, who owns STV Invest, explains the reasons for the acquisition. He remembers that MATADOR Industries has experience in making platforms for automated lines, which will provide additional cooperation thanks to close cooperation with another company from the STV group – DEUS Automation, which will dealing with industrial automation in the manufacture of ammunition and artillery.

The plant in Dubnica nad Váhom is awaiting development

The new owner of MATADOR Industries does not plan to reduce the number of employees or move production. On the contrary. New investments are planned in Dubnice nad Váhom, where Matador is based, and a construction center for the field of military technology for the entire STV group should be gradually established there. Martin Kele, who helped build the entire Matador Group, will now be the new CEO of STV Group.

According to Martin Drda, the good economic results of the Czech military group STV and the more suitable approach of the financing banks now allow the whole group to invest more. This Slovak construction may not be the last in the future. “We are always exploring various investment opportunities in the Czech Republic and abroad. We want to focus specifically on what we are good at, ie products and services in the defense industry that would complement our offer appropriately. In the future, we also plan to profile ourselves as a manufacturer of heavy military equipment,” says Martin Drda, owner of STV Invest.

The acquisition concerns only MATADOR Industries, which until now was part of the MATADOR Group. “The MATADOR group is close to our heart, we have been building it for several years. But we are too spread out, we want to focus on strengthening in the automotive industry, where we do it best. That is why we were looking for a strategic partner for one of our subsidiaries MATADOR Industries and we are happy to work with STV Group. This strong, ambitious and growing company will be able to continue developing production in Dubnica and build here a center of excellence in arms production for the entire region of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.” explains Štefan Rosina, president of the Matador group.

From MATADOR Industries

The company MATADOR Industries, whose history goes back to 1929, focuses mainly on the production of engineering metal for several industries, such as the defense industry, the rubber or energy industry and the production of machines or their parts. These are mainly pressing machines, grinding machines, medical technology, bottle filling machines in the food industry, tire production machines.

Matador Industries has also established itself as an important company in the Slovak defense industry. Since 2020, superstructure parts of the Zuzana 2 howitzer (turret, cradle and carriage) have been produced, which are supplied to the state company ZŤS – ŠPECIÁL. The multi-year contract was a great opportunity for the company to re-establish itself as a supplier in the defense industry sector.

MATADOR Industries had a total of 240 employees in 2023. Sales amounted to EUR 27 million and EBITDA reached EUR 3 million.

Until now, MAATDOR Industries was part of MATADOR, founded in 1905. It currently includes around 22 companies and is one of the largest family companies in Slovakia, 100 % by the Rosin family. It will focus primarily on the automotive industry. The portfolio of activities includes construction and design, press, industrial automation and general engineering. In 2022, the group became a joint venture in the pressing and welding of parts for the automotive industry in the SODECIA group.

About the STV group

The holding company STV INVEST covers a group of industrial-technological companies in the field of defense and civil industry. The main part of its activities is based in the company STV GROUP, which is the only large arms manufacturer in the Czech Republic and which also deals with the repair and renewal of heavy military equipment. The investment also includes other important companies. STV Technology produces handgun ammunition, Fenix​​​​​​Protector focuses on ballistic protection equipment, DEUS Automation specializes in industrial automation, and Poličské strojírny provides its -out pneumatic door systems and mechanical armor components.

The technology group under the umbrella of STV INVEST works hard to make the world safer. Thanks to the company STV GROUP, they are developing a tradition of manufacturing military equipment and explosives that dates back to 1920, when the First Military Weapons Factory was established in Polička.

The STV Group currently has production centers in Polička, Nové mesto pod Smrkek, Zákupy, Nové Knín and recently also in Slovakia in Dubnice nad Váhom. In addition to the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the group also has sales representatives in Poland and the USA. The STV Group now employs more than 1,300 people, and the annual sales of the entire group will exceed CZK 10 billion this year.