This year we commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Czechia and Pakistan. The Czech Embassy, in collaboration with the online media group Bloom Pakistan Digital (altnarra.com), prepared a series of articles in which we will introduce the main sectors of the Czech industry, which we would like to offer in Pakistan.
In the past, and more recently, Pakistan and Czechia have had well-developed cooperation in trade of chemicals. Let’s introduce the success story of the Czech chemical industry.
Traditional Czech companies play an important role in the country’s chemical industry. For example, SPOLCHEMIE was founded in 1856 and produces resins. The company has been continuously operating at the same location to this day, and its name still reflects its rich history. At that time, the company cooperated with Solvay, as well as with Ciba, Bayer, BASF, Carbo Union, and others.
The FOSFA factory is the largest processor of yellow phosphorus in Europe. Another Czech company, DRASLOVKA, is a global leader in the production of cyanide-based chemical specialties, and explosives, particularly Semtex, which is produced by the company EXPLOSIA is well known worldwide.
All these companies have achieved their success primarily through their ability to respond to technological developments and changing customer needs, strengthen their exceptional know-how and penetrate related industries.
A significant contribution to the success story of Czech chemical industry has been made by famous chemists such as Mr. Jaroslav Heyrovsky, who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1959 for his discovery and development of polarography, and Mr. Otto Wichterle, who was best known for his invention of modern soft contact lenses.
His work in macromolecular chemistry led to significant advancements in the field, and he is credited with approximately 180 patents and over 200 publications. Wichterle’s invention has had a profound impact, with soft contact lenses now being used by more than 100 million people worldwide.
Mr. Antonín Holý was a pioneering Czech scientist who specialized in the field of chemistry and collaborated on the development of important antiretroviral drugs used in the treatment of HIV and hepatitis B. He was also involved in the creation of the most effective drug for the treatment of AIDS.
1. Mr. Jaroslav Heyrovsky
2. Mr. Otto Wichterle
Chemicals play a key role in the Czech economy. In terms of sales, the integrated chemical industry is the second-largest industrial sector in the country, after the automotive industry. Czech chemicals sales are set to reach €12 billion by 2026, growing at an average rate of 2.3% year on year. The Czech chemical industry’s products include inorganic and organic chemicals, fertilizers, basic petrochemicals, primary-form plastics, synthetic resins, synthetic rubber, paints, dyestuffs and pigments, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, soaps and detergents, chemical fibers and explosives.
Czechia has tremendous potential as a destination for investments in the chemical industry, including battery production and its supply chain, thanks to its infrastructure, workforce, and the available space for such investments, particularly brownfields. The industry is a crucial supplier of raw materials for a number of downstream domestic industries. It also ranks among the industrial sectors with the highest innovation potential.
A very important part of the success story is education. The University of Chemistry and Technology (UCT) in Prague is a natural center of first-rate study and research in the field of chemistry in Czechia and is one of the country’s largest educational and research institutions focused on technical chemistry, chemical and biochemical technologies, material and chemical engineering, food chemistry, environmental studies and business & management.
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Its cutting-edge facilities and equipment, together with an impressive scientific and research profile, make it an ideal training ground for future managerial, R&D, and public sector leaders.
The whole success story would not be complete without the effective and prosperous Association of Chemical Industry of the Czech Republic (SCHP CZ), which represents the majority of the chemical industry in the country in terms of turnover, profit generation and contribution to the state budget of Czechia. In total, SCHP CZ represents 142 organizations.
The primary goal of SCHP CZ’s activities is to influence the development of legislative norms by the Czech executive and within the EU, as well as the decisions of the EU institutions, in such a way that do not hinder but rather support the chemical industry, benefiting the members of SCHP CZ with positive public perception and a significant position in the Czech economy.
The economic department of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Pakistan is always ready to assist with further information by e-mail: islamabad.commerce@mzv.gov.cz
Author: Ladislav Steinhübel, Ambassador of Czechia to Pakistan
