Industry and Economy - Overview

Manufacturing activities throughout the whole of the Hradec Králové region have been undergoing a structural reconstruction over the past decade. The former concentration of production in large firms and plants focusing on textile industry and engineering has been gradually replaced with a greater variety of private enterprise of smaller and medium-size firms. The standard of the local work force has traditionally been high and industrial activities have been long-standing. The major fields of manufacturing are textile and general engineering industries, alimentary production, metalworking, rubber and plastic materials industries.

In the Hradec Králové region there are important industrial and manufacturing enterprises with nationwide significance. A greater focus on light industries meant that the local industrial base consists of a wide range of small firms and plants. The sector of small and medium-size firms in the category of 20-50 and 50-250 employees is represented in the region slightly above the national average, while the ratio of large firms is a little below the average in the Czech Republic. The major enterprises of the region are Petrof, Forests of the Czech Republic, The Energy Industry of East-Bohemia and Rubena (Hradec Králové district); Continental Teves Jičín, Ronal Jičín (district of Jičín); Tiba (district of Trutnov); Škoda Auto Kvasiny etc.

A positive element of the economic development of the region is the rising number of enterprises with foreign financial participation (e. g. in the year 1997 there were 667 cases of foreign participation - by June 2000 there were already 2234 enterprises registered, which represents an increase by more than 300 per cent). From the point of view of different sectors of production, the largest number of firms with foreign capital is in services, construction industry and manufacturing; while in agriculture their number is the lowest.

The regional administration concentrates on collaboration with communities to bring foreign investment for the construction of industrial zones in Jičín (34.3 ha), Rychnov nad Kněžnou – Kvasiny (13 ha), Vrchlabí (12.5 ha) and Hořice (3.8 ha). In the near future construction of industrial zones is being considered in the surroundings of Hradec Králové, Trutnov and Dvůr Králové nad Labem.

From the regional perspective it is fundamental to create a joint complex offer including industrial zones of different sizes as well as zones suitable for investment on the regional level, high standard work force qualified for a whole range of skills etc.