Ponsse establishes a subsidiary in the forest-covered Czech Republic

Ponsse continues to operate in the Czech Republic under its subsidiary and is continuing the excellent work done by Krenek Forest Service, its former dealer.

The subsidiary was established when Ponsse acquired Krenek Forest Service, a family-owned company and dealer responsible for PONSSE forest machines and services in the Czech Republic. Ponsse Czech, Ponsse’s subsidiary in the Czech Republic, officially saw the light of day at the beginning of April. Krenek’s employees will continue to work for Ponsse.

Established in 2003, Krenek Forest Service has acted as an official Ponsse dealer since 2013. Before that, the company operated through Wahlers Forsttechnik, Ponsse’s dealer in Germany.

“We’re proud to continue Krenek’s work in the Czech Republic. It’s been an honour for Krenek’s family-owned business to take care of customer relationships with relentless honesty and commitment, which also lays the foundation of our operations,” says Juho Nummela, Ponsse’s President and CEO.

Jakub Hacura was appointed as managing director of Ponsse Czech s.r.o. at the beginning of April 2022. He has worked in managerial positions in PONSSE forest machine sales and maintenance at Křenek Forest Service s.r.o. since 2017.

NEWS ACCEPTED WITH APOSITIVE MIND

Ponsse Czech’s head office is located in Hostinné. The company will continue to operate in Krenek’s service facilities. In the Czech Republic, Ponsse provides not only full-range machine sales, but also maintenance and spare parts services and training.

When Jakub Hacura, Ponsse Czech’s managing director, started at Krenek, he knew that there was something special about Ponsse.

“I’ve always been a fan of Ponsse. Even my first visit to Ponsse’s factory in Vieremä was like nothing else. I felt that Ponsse was much more than just a forest machine manufacturer,” says Jakub Hacura, managing director of Ponsse Czechia.

A total of 16 employees will transfer to Ponsse from Krenek Forest Service.

“Our employees accepted the news with a positive mind and are eager to continue to work for Ponsse. We’ve also received very positive feedback from our Czech customers on the transaction,” Hakura says.

Vratislav Šimek and Michal Lejdar, new members of the Ponsse family, work in Ponsse’s shop. They are both pleased about the change.

“I believe that Ponsse is one of the best forest machine companies in the world. I’ve had the opportunity to test different brands, and Ponsse stands out from all the rest,” Šimek says.

“Ponsse is a great company with high potential! What I’m expecting the most is that stock management will develop in a better direction,” Lejdar adds.

Ponsse Czech’s head office is located in Hostinné.

SERVICES TO IMPROVE EVENFURTHER

Martin Novák is one of Ponsse Czechia’s customers. His harvesting company operates in the Hradec Králové region in the Czech Republic, close to the Polish border in the east.

“Not only are Ponsse’s services located very close, the quality and simplicity of its products are Ponsse’s advantages,” says managing director Martin Novák.

The company operates six PONSSE forest machines. Novák’s company expects Ponsse’s maintenance services to improve even further. Now that Ponsse has started operating in the Czech Republic, it is also expected that local forest machine repair shops will receive high-quality training.

“I expect Finnish colleagues to also provide excellent maintenance training for Ponsse’s local service mechanics,” Martin Novák says.

A SPRUCE-DOMINATED COUNTRY

Currently, there are 290 PONSSE forest machines operating in the Czech Republic. Ponsse accounts for roughly 20 per cent of the cut-to-length harvesting market in the country.

Ponsse is a household name in the Czech Republic, and its service level is trusted.

“With customer orientation being one of its values, it always develops new solutions that are even better than the last ones. Ponsse builds its solutions from its customers’ perspectives. As a result, Ponsse can succeed with its customers,” Hacura says.

Any wood left over by Czech sawmills is exported to other countries such as neighbouring Austria and Germany. Czech wood is also exported to China.