23.11.2018.
Marking the jubilee of 90 years of the Prvi Partizan of Užice
Prvi Partizan Ltd company of Užice has marked today the jubilee of 90 years of its existence and work. On this occasion, Acting Assistant Minister of Defence for Material Resources, Nenad Miloradović, PhD, and Dobrosav Andrić, General Manager of Prvi Partizan ceremoniously put into operation the refurbished hall with a production line for 12.7 mm cartridge case and laid the cornerstone for the new manufacturing plant of the factory for completion and packaging of ammunition in Bele Zemlje settlement not far from Užice.
Assistant Minister Miloradović reminded that the year behind us is a year of great jubilees, not only of our war history, but also our factories of defence industry, such as this - nine decades of the existence and work of Užice-based Prvi Partizan.
- It testifies that the long-standing strategy of this country to make and invest in its defence industry is very successful and I can assure you that the state of Serbia will continue with such a strategy. Apart from being one of the oldest factories, Prvi Partizan is also one of the most successful factories of the Defence Industry of Serbia. Thanks to its good position on the world market, this factory has invested in the past period about EUR 25 million from its own revenues to the renewal of its technologies. The state of Serbia has invested four million euros in direct investments, as well as about 15 million euros of indirect investments - Miloradovic emphasized, adding that the plants visited today and those whose construction is starting, should increase the company's revenues by about 50 percent.According to him, what is even more important for the defence of our country and the progress of the Serbian defence technologies is the introduction of new technologies, which should significantly improve the combat capability.
- We are expecting a new generation of ammunition that will significantly improve the efficiency of small arms fire, as well as the fire from infantry fighting vehicles, primarily in the armaments of the Serbian Armed Forces. This ammunition should also bring new quality that the factory brings to the world market – Miloradović emphasized, pointing out that all the other factories of the Serbian Defence Industry have similar tasks.
On the example of Partizan, Miloradovic said, as well as on the examples of other factories from the Serbian defence industry, it can be seen that investing in the Armed Forces, defence, and above all in the combat industry, is never just an expense, but it also brings huge export, technological and macroeconomic benefits for the state.
Recalling the most important moments that marked the nine decades of the rich history of the factory, General Manager Dobrosav Andrić stressed that no one can dispute the fact that the first partisan is today a modern company that exports its products worldwide constantly enriching its wide offer with new products.
- The new manufacturing plant that we are starting to build on Bele Zemlje opens the possibility of producing another 50 million units a year, and most importantly, the fulfilment of the promise that the last underground production hall, the so-called “Rupa” (The Hole), will finally be moved to the new plants. The new manufacturing plant for the completion and packaging of ammunition, with its about 20 thousand square meters and with deadline for finishing of 15 months, is crowned by our modernisation project, as it increases capacity, employs 200 new workers and raises the level of quality and safety to the highest level – Director Andrić emphasized, adding that in this way the factory and its workers will get comfortable and modern workspaces.As before, Andrić said, the plants that are under construction, as well as new plants, will be built in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence and the Government of the Republic of Serbia.
The story of Prvi Partizan starts in the 1920s. In 1927, the founder of the factory, Jakob Posinger, in cooperation with the army and the government of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, moved his workshop from Kranj (Slovenia) to Užice. After the purchase of machines, the workshop was equipped for the production of hunting rifles and pistol ammunition. The factory started operations on 1st May 1928, in the “Stevan Nemanja” barracks in Krčagovo, with 150 employees. After the end of World War II, on 5th September 1947, the Factory of Arms and Ammunition in Užice (FOMU) was renamed “Prvi Partizan” and it became a state-owned company. At the end of the 1970s, the Prvi Partizan company started building new plants and facilities, which made it possible to increase the capacity and introduce new products.
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