Českomoravská komerční společnost, a.s. (ČMKS) was established in 1995 in order to bring together and coordinate the activities of První správkárenská spol. s r.o., Nymburk, Jihlavská lokomotivní společnost s.r.o., Jihlava, Letohradská správkárenská, s.r.o., Letohrad, and other companies. Subsequent developments led logically to closer collaboration and to the signing of an agreement to form a holding-type association under the name of HOLDING ČMKS. This agreement was approved by the Czech Antimonopoly Office in 1997, and the ČMKS trademark was subsequently registered with the Industrial Property Office in Prague.

HOLDING ČMKS’s largest production unit is ČMKS – Lokomotivy a.s. (formerly Železniční opravny a strojírny s.r.o., Česká Třebová), which became a wholly owned subsidiary in 1999. With this acquisition HOLDING ČMKS gained not only a production facility, but a manufacturing tradition going back more than 150 years, passed down through several generations in the Česká Třebová region.

Over the past five years the group has undergone many changes aimed at optimizing its organizational and management structures. HOLDING ČMKS employs almost 600 people, has assets of nearly CZK 1 billion, and posts annual sales revenues of more than CZK 1 billion.
The companies in HOLDING ČMKS are gradually undergoing changes aimed at enhancing their operations, especially in the areas of productivity and management optimization, with decision-making and planning being transferred to specialized units of HOLDING ČMKS’s parent company, ČMKS holding, a.s.

HOLDING ČMKS’s main business line is the repair, upgrading and refurbishing of railway traction vehicles. It is steadily reviving the tradition of locomotive manufacture in the Czech Republic. To that end it has brought in top design engineers from the now defunct ČKD Lokomotivka a.s. and has launched production of new locomotives. Our success in this area is demonstrated by the Gold Medal awarded to the new two-axle 709 class locomotive at the MSV Brno 2005 international engineering fair.
Although our customers are predominantly Czech rail transport operators, we have also been successful in recent years in exporting our products to EU and other countries. For example, we have carried out a major order to upgrade 753 class locomotives for Italian customers, and at the start of 2006 we supplied the first 10-unit series of new two-axle 709-621.1 class locomotives to the national railway operator in Serbia and Montenegro.
At the end of 2004, Phoenix–Zeppelin, spol. s r.o., which represents the interests of U.S. company Caterpillar, bought into HOLDING ČMKS’s parent company ČMKS Holding, a.s. This alliance with a strong partner with a global footprint represents stability and security for HOLDING ČMKS’s companies and their business partners.

I am confident that the HOLDING ČMKS companies will be a strong and reliable partner for you. I wish us every success in our shared endeavours.