We recently received an invitation from Pojišťovna VZP, a.s. to participate in the “Together We’ll Revive the Czech Republic”project . We were thrilled by this initiative to support Czech products and help those affected by the coronavirus crisis. So without hesitation, we said to ourselves—Mikov makes Czech knives, so of course, we’re in.
A lot is said about the Czech character. Some aspects are positive, others less so. But when it really matters, we usually manage to stick together. We saw this recently during the sewing of face masks. And it may become evident in the future as well—for example, when we decide tomorrow where and on what we’ll spend our money. Whether we’ll send it off to some unknown place for unnecessary goods, or support those who, for instance, provide jobs for our neighbors and acquaintances...
At least once a week, the phone rings at Mikov, and a journalist asks how we’re doing and how badly the crisis has hit us. Even though we’re not among those whose businesses have been completely crippled by the virus, we’re definitely feeling the crisis too. Not even a doubling of our e-shop’s sales has been able to make up for the loss of revenue from our partners’ closed stores, both at home and abroad.
However, it turns out that our long-time customers and fans care deeply about what’s happening with us. That’s why we’re striving to connect with them and are planning gradual changes to our online store, making shopping more convenient and our e-commerce platform more user-friendly—including for our wholesale partners.
We view COVID-19 as an impetus to pursue efficiency and quality in every sense of the word.
We must think about how to adjust production, how to embrace digitization and automation even more, and simply how to work better. We will definitely not give up.
We won’t give up, in part because our military knives are purchased in large numbers by members of the Czech Army and the Czech Police—men and women who are willing to risk their lives for our country. They may not talk about it, but you can tell by looking at them. And that is a great source of inspiration—not only for our involvement in the “Together We’ll Revitalize the Czech Republic” project, but also for finding ways to save not only the Czech knife-making industry but also to help others in the process.