Located on the border with Slovakia, the region offers good location opportunities for companies wishing to export to Slovakia, Austria, Hungary and South-Eastern Europe. The district of Vsetin offers a good access to the neighboring Ostrava region and further north to Poland.
One of the Czech Republic´s main railway lines runs through the entire region, making rail transportation an easy option. The region has no motorway but plans are underway to upgrade the existing network of 1st class roads. All places in the region are within a 90-minute drive from one of the following international airports: Brno and Ostrava in the Czech Republic, Vienna (Austria) and Bratislava (Slovakia). The region has a long and rich industrial tradition: “the Czech Henry Ford”, Tomas Bata, set up his famous footwear company in Zlin in 1894 and expanded to other countries (by 1942 the firm employed over 100,000 people). Other sectors include rubber production, engineering and film-making. The entrepreneurial spirit of Tomas Bata is still felt – Zlin has the highest number of new start-ups in the Czech Republic. Southern parts of the region are also known for farming and fruit-growing.
Human resources
Nearly 40 % of the population is employed in industry – significantly more than in any other Czech region. Skilled labor force in a range of sectors is readily available –the Kromeriz and Vsetin regions have especially high unemployment. Zlin’s well-developed educational system for industrial professions dates back to the Bata times. The long-established technological faculty and the faculty of management and economics were incorporated into the new University of Tomas Bata in January 2001. In addition to standard technology courses the University offers unique study programs in plastics and rubber processing, footwear industry technologies and leather processing. The region also has a number of higher professional schools, secondary technical schools and vocational training centres, including two film schools.
Major industries
The core of the Zlin region’s economy consists of large industrial companies in the rubber industry, footwear industry, general engineering, textile, clothing and leather sector, and electrical engineering. Other major industries include plastics, chemicals and automotive components. The once significant production of small and medium-sized aircraft has been experiencing problems.
