Activities
The activities of the Company were initially separated into two main divisions (a division of professional services and a division of entrepreneurial activities). The entrepreneurial activities became independent in 1993 by creating limited liability companies wherein Hutnictví zeleza, a.s. retained property share at least to the extent of a forced minority. Thus, five limited liability companies were founded but the Company sold its shares at later stages:
- KOMETAL export-import s.r.o.
- COMETIMEX, s.r.o.
- KOVA HZ, s.r.o.
- METAL FH servis, s.r.o.
- OCELOT, s.r.o.
The activities of the Company concentrate on professional services of an analytical and consulting character. Great attention is paid to system solutions of relevant problems of metallurgy (e.g. transfer of Czechoslovak standards (CSN) to European Standards, transfers of reporting of the metallurgical industry to the European Community Standard, obligations resulting from association agreement with EC and others).
- The company also performed marketing investigations and
studies for its shareholders.
- Building-up an information system referring to up-to-date
questions of steel marketing in the world destined for management
also contributed to the mission to be helpful to the process of
integrating the steel industry into the environment of market
economy.
- Agreements with some foreign economic associations,
information exchange, membership in IISI and contacting EUROFER
were further particular steps in this direction.
- A common platform for discussing the possibilities of how to
solve relevant problems and uniform bearing everywhere that is
not contrary to economic legislation very promptly helped to
solve intricate questions of shareholders' position in the
international steel market, in presentations on international
trading campaigns as well as those of a scientific-technical
character.
- Promoting and defending metallurgy (incl. its indisputable
specifics) in the entire sphere of economic and industrial policy
is very important for the activity of the Company. Quick response
to developments in industry and the economy and recommended
solutions as the results of analyses are applied by the Company
towards state administration as well as towards other
institutions acting appropriately in forming and finalising
industrial policy incl. legislation.
- The federation is engaged in information, co-ordination and
lobbying activity with respect to above-mentioned employers'
organisations and state administration bodies. Its role will
increase in the future in connection with legislative final
solutions of branch and trade organisations as, in principle,
non-profit organisations rendering service to their members and
warranting "enterprising purity in the
branch".
- The relations of metallurgical companies of both republics
and their support especially of an immaterial character are of
importance, i.e. in granting an information base, technical
support of specialists and organisational support. The relations
of high schools with study programmes for the preparation of
metallurgical professionals are similar. A large effort has been
made to retain and further edit the technical journal Hutnické
listy.
- The knowledge of needs of services rendered by Hutnictví zeleza, a.s. also points out the usefulness of providing further services, e.g. for metallurgical material wholesale and for securing basic raw input materials and energy. Contact with the press is successfully developed, as well as contacts with parliament members involved in relevant legislation questions in direct connection with metallurgy, e.g. environmental questions, are well proved.
Having established the joint-stock company, HZ, a.s. began to execute its activities on a business basis under the conditions defined by the Commercial code.
The services of the Company may be used in many respects by top management of joint-stock companies - members of HZ, a.s. as well as special departments of shareholders' organisations - economic, marketing, trade, production, technical and ecological departments. The activities of HZ, a.s. may also be helpful to governmental bodies. To this end, negotiations with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic took place in which the services are rendered according to the contract. To a lesser extent, they are also rendered to the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic. Co-operation also existed with the Ministry for Environment of the Czech Republic, the Civil Office for Nuclear Safety, the Parliament of the Czech Republic, and with the Office for Technical Standardisation, Metrology and State Testing Stations and other state bodies.
Through co-operation with statistical offices of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic Hutnictví zeleza, a.s. warrants correctness of statistical data supplied to the UNO Economic Commission, IISI and other foreign companies from which we get information in return carried out by these companies.
