The knives produced at the Mikov factory, as well as the chisels manufactured at our Narex Bystřice plant, are tools that have remained virtually unchanged over the centuries. Of course, new designs are emerging—especially for knives—and better materials are being used, but the principle remains the same: a comfortable handle and a sharp blade.
The vast majority of our products are characterized by a significant amount of skilled craftsmanship—in the best sense of the word, it’s literally true that every piece is an original. On the other hand, even with such tools, a number of repetitive operations must be performed, where any deviation is detrimental. This is an ideal task for machines and robots.
A good example is grinding the shape of a knife blade from a blank that is punched out of a sheet metal strip. An automatic grinding machine has been performing this operation with precision for many years—for example, on Rybička blades—while a CNC grinding machine handles UTON and Predator blades. Similarly, the production of the M1 bayonet for BREN submachine guns for Česká zbrojovka–Colt, or, for example, the Pocket designer knives, would not be as precise and efficient without modern programmable machining centers. These machines enable a range of operations to be performed simultaneously with a level of precision that conventional machine tools could not achieve.
In the 21st century, however, technology is advancing even further. Software links production machines to precise measurement of results, and finished semi-finished products are stacked onto metal pallets to be ready for further automated operations. It is impossible for a single piece to proceed further in production if it deviates by even one hundredth of a millimeter from the required manufacturing tolerance.
In the robotic CNC grinding workstations that we commissioned this year at Narex Bystřice, robots grind chisel blanks to the exact shape without a human hand ever touching them. They operate with absolute precision 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The result of their work is then handed over to a specialist, who breathes life into the semi-finished product, creating the perfect tool for woodworking.
The introduction of new robotic workstations, machining centers, and CNC grinders is a long-term project for both Mikov and Narex Bystřice. It is the only way to overcome the persistent negative legacy of past decades, when there was virtually no investment in production. The results confirm that this is a meaningful and successful path.