Mikov
| Mikov, sro | |
|---|---|
| Founded: | 1794 |
| Founder: | Ignaz Rösler |
| Headquarters: | Mikulášovice, Czech Republic |
| Key People: | |
| Products: | knives, sharpeners, office products, advertising products and more |
| Website: | http://www.mikov.cz |
Mikov is a Czech manufacturer of knives based in Mikulášovice in the Děčín district in the Ústí nad Labem region . The owner of the company and the holder of the trademark MIKOV is currently the company Mikov, sro.
History of cutlery manufacturing in Mikulášovice[edit]
The history of the company dates back to 1794, when Ignaz Rösler founded the first production of knives and small goods in Mikulášovice (then Nixdorf). He was born here on August 1, 1765 and trained as a buyer. He originally owned a ribbon factory, but he joined forces with the local blacksmith Anton Weber and together they started making knives and scalpels in Mikulášovice. Rösler later became independent and, despite hard pressure, especially from Viennese competition, handed over the factory to his nephews Josef Emanuel Fischer , Franz Fischer, Josef Rösler and Alois Rösler. The company continued to develop and other factories for the production of knives were established in Mikulášovice. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, these factories employed 2800-3000 workers and produced knives mainly for export to European countries, but also to the USA, South America and Canada.
The success of Ignáz Rösler in the early 19th century led other entrepreneurs in Mikulášovice to establish cutlery companies, and soon the "Czech Solingen" began to appear to them. The knife industry reached its peak in the period before and after the First World War. During the Second World War, Mikulášovice became part of III. the empire and the production of knives were limited because arms orders prevailed. The local factories did not return to cutlery until after 1946.
History of the company after 1948[edit]
The Mikov company was established in 1955 as a national company in Mikulášovice in North Bohemia by merging the local plants - the Sandrik knife factory and the Koh-i-noor office supplies factory. The name Mikov meant an abbreviation - MIKulášovický KOVopryslul. Before the revolution, Mikov was one of the leading manufacturers of knives (besides eg KDS Sedlčany ) and office equipment (besides eg Koh-i-Noor ) in the then Czechoslovakia and had subsidiary plants in a number of cities - Benešov nad Ploučnící, Česká Lípa, Slaný and Lipová . After 1989, its individual plants became independent and privatized. The production of knives under the Mikov brand and office equipment under the KIN brand now continues only in Mikulášovice. In 2005, the company purchased ADLER MESSER knife production technology, including the right to use this brand.
During this time, Mikov also focused on the development of new technologies and his employees began to use a new method of heat treatment of metals according to the Czechoslovak patent MARTFROST, which resulted in deep freezing of knife blades after hardening. This technology is currently no longer used for ecological reasons.
The company is currently engaged in the field of nature protection, especially elephant protection. In 2015, it therefore removed ivory from its range and called on other companies to refrain from using legal ivory.
In March 2017, the company changed owner. The new owner of Mikov became the company Conmetron spol. sro, which in the past was a subsidiary of the state enterprise Mikov. Since October 2017, the two companies have merged into one, which continues to use the name Mikov.
In January 2019, Mikov bought the Czech manufacturer of hand tools and screwdrivers Narex Bystřice.
Products[edit]
Mikov mainly produces a full range of knives - pocket folding knives, hunting knives, ejection knives, work knives, but also kitchen, butcher and sports knives. In addition, it is a manufacturer and supplier of a range of office equipment, small engineering materials and preparations for precision cutting and die casting.
Museum of cutlery tradition[edit]
In order to emphasize its connection with the history of the region, the Mikov company opened a Museum of Cutlery Tradition directly on its premises on 12 May 2012, which affects the development of cutlery in Mikulášovice. Historical exhibits of knives, period photographs and historical texts are exhibited here. Interesting are the so-called demonstration knives, which served as a presentation of the craftsmanship of knife makers. In addition, there are also some rarities on display, such as the 60-centimeter large "fish" folding knife made to order by one collector or a special forged knife made of Damascus steel, made by Slovak blacksmiths and knives for the 60th anniversary of the Mikov brand.
From 1 August 2017, the museum moved from the factory premises to the premises of the Municipal Information Center in Mikulášovice.