23.02.2009.
70 years of Krusik
The Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac congratulated the Day of Krusik Factory in Valjevo and 70 years of its existence, while expressing his pleasure at being there and at seeing that promises made by MOD, the State Government and JUGOIMPORT-SDRP had been kept.He pointed out that the Valjevo-based arms factory was slowing restoring the trust and repute it once had.
The ceremoniuous academy occasioned by the Day of Valjevo-based arms factory was attended by the CEO of JUGOIMPORT Stevan Nikcevic, the managing director of other arms factories and Serbia defense industry, along with the representatives of local self-government and religious communities in Serbia.
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As many other factories of the defense industry, Krusik had its ups and downs. After the aggression in 1999, our defense industry underwent extensive damage, however, it is obvious that the employees mustered the strength to jumpstart the factory and even adopt and implement new technologies in the last year.Minister Sutanovac took this opportunity to highlight that without these new technologies and improvement in the process of production this factory would not stand a chance at survival. “Products have to improved and changed, which is exactly what Krusik did last year”.
Both the Ministry of Defense and SDPR would do everything in their power to get competitive products which would raise the export rates. In his words, it is unrealistic to expect an increase of 150 ^ which was the case in 2008. Nevertheless, Minister said that he expected Krusik as well as the whole defense industry to contribute to the foreign economy deficit during the current crisis.
-The state has to help in order to make it easier for the products of the defense industry to be placed at the world trade market.
Director of Krusik Jovan Davidovic said that he was proud of being at the head of this factory which back in 1970s had more than 40000 employees. Hard times were behind us, as he said, and with only 1500 employees today, the managing team had succeeded in rejuvenating the personnel with young experts who represent the factory’s future. Without the state helping the factory it would not have been feasible to make a 150 % increase in production in the last year.Krusik has restored its good name, which is being passed down from one generation to another. After years of insecurity we are looking at a new period where we have to improve the working conditions as well as the personal standards of every employee, said Davidovic.
The Director was awarded a prize by the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the Regional Chamber of Commerce of Valjevo. This was also an opportunity for Davidovic to present acknowledgments to associates and collaborators-to the Minister Dragan Sutanovac, to JUGOIMPORT-SDPR, to the Military Technical Institute, to the Technical Testing Center, to Serbian Bank, to Sloboda Cacak, Milan Blagojevic-Lucani arms factory, to Metalac independent syndicate and a posthumous acknowledgment to general Djuka Ljiljak.
After the ceremony, in his media statement, Minister Dragan Sutanovac underlined that this factory had a future as well as the management. He highlighted that the current economic situation was critical, but that he hoped that the conditions of doing business would improve. Unfortunately, as Minister pointed out, not all factories were thus oriented towards progress, restructuring and modernization.
It is Minister’s belief that the state should approve loans to arms factories with ambition to export their products. The main goal is for the employees to keep their jobs but based on productivity.
The Minister also announced that he would be chairing the mixed Serbian-Iraqi committee which would be engaged on promoting our defense industry. It is our defense industry’s goal to also emerge onto the Libian market.
As for the arms and equipment, they will be procured solely based on the requests of the SAF GS, Minister said, while is unacceptable to have ammo dumps with large quantities of ordnance which are to be destroyed.
PHOTOGALLERY
