MoD signs equipment contracts for Croatian Armed Forces

The contract signing ceremony was attended by the Defence Minister Josip Buljević, the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Mirko Šundov , the Deputy Defence Minister Tomislav Ivić and the representatives of the Croatian companies.

Minister Josip Buljević expressed satisfaction over the co-operation and the Croatian soldiers equipped entirely by Croatia-made quality items. The contracts were signed as soon as the adoption of the State Budtget allowed it.

“Croatian defence industry offers products compatible with NATO standards, and the contracts exemplify a co-operation whereby the Ministry promotes Croatian companies and asupports their development. The co-operation is mutually beneficial. The Ministry of Defence procures the products of the Croatian defence industry not because of their locality but because of their quality that has been confirmed in the demanding international market“, said the Minister.

“The worth of the contracts signed with 27 weapons and military equipment producers today, stipulating the provision of nearly 300,000 of various products, is cca 200 mil kuna, which is a significant sum, and will serve as an important incentive to the national economy. The Minister concluded that the contract were in the interest of the strength and the effectiveness of the national economy and the country in general, and emphasised that the  financial consolidation was one of the Croatian Government’s priorities.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Mirko Šundov expressed satisfaction over the contracts and the continued co-operation with the Croatian producers of weapons and military equipment Lt. Gen. Šundov stressed that the Croatian Armed Forces also sustained national economy. “Croatian soldiers participating in the peace support operations were the best promoters of the Croatian military industry and the equipment has been tested under demanding field ad weather conditions found in Afghanistan, Africa, Kosovo, the Mediterranean and in Croatia” said Lt. Gen. Šundov, who also said that in addition to using the high-quality equipment compliant with NATO standards, the Ministry of Defence and the Croatian Armed Forces continuously co-worked with the military equipment producers to further upgrade its quality.

Alojzije Šestan, Director of Šestan-Busch welcomed the signing of the contracts on behalf of the Association of Producers of Weapons and Military Equipment of the Croatian Chamber of Economy, as a proof of the concrete support from the Ministry of Defence to the Croatian defence industry as a generator of development. He emphasised the multiple benefit of the contracts, which ensured the production in the current year and provides the manufacturers with the certificate which is relevant for the appearance in foreign markets. 

 “The military industry in Croatia may be small in scale but is definitely among the world’s best industries”, said Alojzije Šestan, concluding that the contracts and the co-operation between the Ministry of Defence and the Croatian military equipment producers may set an example to follow by other ministries (which are funded from the State Budget as well) and that public procurement could serve as a generator of growth and development.

The representative of HS Produkt Željko Pavlin emphasised the importance of the contracts and its timing, which allowed the companies to manage the production in the course of the year. He reminded of the fact that the defence manufacturer community and exporters were among the successful businesses in Croatia, also thanks to the co-operation with the Ministry of Defence and its support through the procurement of their products and services and the assistance with the development, design and testing.

The contract on the provision of combat uniforms has been signed with the Association of Producers of Weapons and Military Equipment led by Kroko Prizvodnja i razvoj d.o.o, which comprises Čateks d.d. Čakovec, Odjeća d.o.o. Zagreb, Šešir d.o.o. Zagreb, URIHO Ustanova Zagreb and VARTEKS PRO d.o.o. Varaždin and Hemco d.o.o. Đakovo as subcontractors.
 
The respective contract on the provision of footwear for the Croatian Armed Forces has been signed with the Association of Footwear Producers led by INKOP Obuća d.o.o.from Poznanovca, which comprises BOROVO d.d. Vukovar and JELEN PROFESIONAL d.o.o. from Čakovec.    

The contracts were signed with the following companies and firms as well: Pleter d.o.o Zagreb (catering service), Croatia Osiguranje dd, (insurance); Šestan Busch d.o.o. (helmets), HS Produkt d.o.o  (small arms), Đuro Đaković Slavonski Brod (overhaul), Tehnomont Brodogradilište Pula Ltd. (vessel overhaul) , Jadran (hosiery), Galeb Omiš (underwear), Mako Ltd. Osijek (sweaters), SKIPLET Ltd. Rakitje (haberdashery), Kap-ko Ltd. Zagreb (caps), KROJOSTIL Ltd. Jakovlje (jackets), Jacquard Ltd. Zagreb (straps), Mint Ltd. Popovec (metal tags) TECHTEX d.o.o Varazdin (raincoats), ČARLIANA Zagreb (gloves) and Antipiros Ltd. Split (servicing).

The contracts entail the provision of cca 300,000 various products as follows: more than 10,000 pairs of footwear, 70,000 uniforms, over 140,000 pieces of underwear and 50,000 hosiery items. The production will engage 5,000 workers.