Plant Producing Cartridges for Large-calibre Ammunition to Be Set Up in Strazske

Strazske, October 4 (TASR) - A plant for the production of cartridges for large-calibre ammunition will be set up in the town of Strazske in Kosice region. In the presence of Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) and representatives of the MSM Group holding, the renovation of former Chemko Strazske site was launched on Friday, where the MSM Group wants to start the production of biomodular powder cartridges for large-calibre ammunition in 2027. It plans to invest €350 million in building the new production infrastructure in several stages. Thanks to the investment in the production in Strazske, the holding company believes that the pan-European production capacity of these ammunition components will be significantly increased, and dozens of new jobs will be created in the region. "We have an ambition to build a new specialised plant for the production of bimodular cartridges for 155-millimetre calibre artillery ammunition on the Chemko Strazske site by 2027. The new plant will work with less hazardous substances than was the case with the former specialised production in Chemko, which is mainly to reassure the residents of the town of Strazske. The new production hall will also enable us to generate dozens of new highly qualified jobs for the inhabitants of the town and the adjacent surroundings," said ZVS board of directors chairman Pavol Cahoj. Since 2015, ZVS holding has been 50 percent owned by state-run enterprise DMD holding, the other owner is the MSM Group, which is a member of the industrial-technological Czechoslovak Group, specifically its Defence division. According to Cahoj, the total amount of funds to be spent on the project in Strazske in several stages will tentatively reach €350 million. "I think that new investments in the east of Slovakia, including this investment of several hundred million, which can revive traditional production in Strazske, will create around 150 new jobs at the beginning of the production itself. It will enable sophisticated production to be brought to Strazske, which again has a high added value and thus salaries of new employees may be above the standard average. Self-sufficiency in the production of ammunition and spare parts, such as barrels or other parts of weapons, is extremely important for the security of the country," said Kalinak. am/mcs