Many Czech textile firms have enjoyed success in recent years by focusing on technical textile
production, where the amount of manual labour required is lower, pressure on prices is less intense,
and competition from low cost Asian countries is not as strong as in the manufacture of textiles aimed
at consumer markets.
Some companies and research organisations belong to a technical textile cluster called Clutex.
Members work together on research and development (R&D) projects, leading to innovations and new
products for their portfolios. In June 2009 12 members combined to present their product ranges at a
stand at Techtextil in Germany. Clutex has 23 members with combined sales in 2008 of Kc4.3 bn (about
US$250 mn). But none of the four biggest players—Juta, Kordárna, Pegas, and Technolen—has joined.
Some companies have been badly affected by the downturn in the automotive sector and weakness in
the construction industry. However, others have escaped the worst of the downturn by serving highly
diversified markets with a wide variety of products. Another challenge which has proved more difficult
to overcome is the appreciation of the koruna against the euro and US dollar.
Juta, the largest textile company in the country, makes drainage systems, multi-layer polyolefin roof
membranes and nonwoven geotextiles for the construction industry, as well as mesh tree protection,
polypropylene bags and twines for the agricultural sector. Other products include artificial grass, belts,
and filtration. Mehler Texnologies focuses on tarpaulins, textiles for boats and garden pools. Export
destinations include Germany, Italy and the Ukraine. Svitap is Europe’s biggest maker of caravan
awnings. It also produces marquees, car ports, camp beds, mattresses, and pouches for banks and
postal services. Technolen makes advertisement banners, fire protection products, roof membranes and
tarpaulins. Pegas is the second biggest textile company in the Czech Republic and Europe’s second
largest nonwovens producer after Fiberweb serving markets for diapers, feminine hygiene and
incontinence products. Kordárna ranked in 2008 as Central Europe’s largest manufacturer of technical
textiles for the rubber industry and the country’s third biggest textile company industry. In 2009 the
company became insolvent but its creditors have provided it with breathing space to reorganise itself.
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