30.03.2016.
State Secretary Neric visits "Zastava Arms" in Kragujevac
State Secretary Nenad Neric, with Head of the Department for Defence Technology Major General Bojan Zrnic, has visited today "Zastava arms" in Kragujevac and talked with the management of that company of the Serbian defence industry.After the meeting with the director Milojko Brzakovic, representatives of the Steering Board of the company and the two unions of "Zastava arms", Neric visited the plants for producing pipes, browning and blasting, galvanizing, heat treatment, production of arms and military equipment, as well as hunting and sporting weapons.
The State Secretary said that, in addition to familiarizing with the current operations of the factory, the visit was also used for understanding the problems Zastava arms is facing with.
- In Kragujevac, like nowhere else, we are witnessing the meeting between the distant past and the future to which we aspire. The combination of these two realities and people's attitudes towards their job are basic impressions I am taking from this place – Neric said, adding that he was fascinated by people with a healthy attitude towards their job and the company from which they make a living.
General Director of "Zastava arms" Milojko Brzakovic stressed that in 2015, “Zastava namenska” had exceptional assistance and understanding from the Ministry of Defence.
- We have signed contracts for the entire 2016 and almost by September the following year, so it it is our central job today to profile the future of the factory, which includes optimization of the production process and the production and development programme.
Brzakovic stressed that one of the priorities is the conversion of old debts, so that the factory can have a better income statement, and that investments are also necessary.
- With the help of the Ministry of Defence, we are to invest two million euros to the equipment using favourable loan conditions of the “Serbian bank”, which, with good organization and coordination of activities, as well as the austerity measures, is a guarantee for the fulfillment of numerous contractual obligations, but also for maintaining the quality.Kragujevac-based "Zastava Arms", with 95 per cent of the production programme intended for export, realized in the year behind us, from its own resources, investments amounting to almost 1.4 million. Although it has long been perceived in the public as the biggest tax debtor, the factory has been settling its debts from the previous years through conversion, it is stable, and since 1 January 2015 it has regularly settled all the taxes and contributions.
