What UNEX does

UNEX a.s. is a privately held Czech metallurgical and heavy engineering group operating three specialized plants — Uničov (bucket wheel excavators, welded steel structures up to 120 t/40 m, steel castings up to 18 t), Olomouc (foundry for nodular and grey iron castings 50 g–6.5 kg, die forgings 2–25 kg, and 3D-printed patterns) and Snina, Slovakia (steel constructions up to 64 t and 45 m) — employing roughly 2,000 experts across 250,000+ sqm of production space. The group is vertically integrated across foundry, die forge, mechanical engineering, machining (up to 26,000 mm horizontal boring), robotic MIG/MAG welding, heat treatment, surface treatment, an accredited test laboratory (ČSN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005) and on-site assembly, supported by CAE tools (CATIA, MAGMA5, Simufact.forming 13.0) and FDM 3D printing for prototype patterns. UNEX is the only Czech producer with the domain expertise to design, manufacture, service and modernize giant bucket wheel excavators (KU 800 series, over 100 units since 1970), and holds 30+ international certifications including EN 1090-2 EXC4, EN 15085-2 CL1, ČSN EN ISO 3834-2, ABS/Bureau Veritas/Lloyd's Register marine approvals, Deutsche Bahn/ČD rail permits, AEO customs status, and the full ISO 9001/14001/45001/50001 suite.

The company monetizes three core revenue streams: (1) custom project-based heavy engineering and steel structures sold to drawings/specifications (e.g., Ariane 6 undercarriages for Eiffage Métal, Voestalpine torpedo ladle vehicle with CEC-Cranes, Sokolovská uhelná KU800/12 modernization, crane undercarriages up to 72 t); (2) serial and batch production of steel, manganese-steel, nodular and grey iron castings and die forgings for automotive/truck/bus, construction equipment, marine and air-conditioning OEMs (over 1.12 million pieces for the automobile industry alone in 2018); and (3) field servicing, repair, modernization and on-site assembly of bucket wheel excavators, loaders, conveyors and steel bridges. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting multinational industrial buyers through multi-stage tenders, complemented by recurring presence at Hannover Messe, BAUMA Munich, CastForge Stuttgart and FOND-EX Brno (often under the CzechTrade national booth) and joint project partnerships with engineering firms. Reported turnover reached approximately CZK 3.12 billion in FY2018 (up ~30% over three years), with FY2019 plans of ~CZK 3.4 billion; the customer base spans surface mining, steelmaking, aerospace/space launch, automotive, marine, railway and robotics/Industry 4.0 segments across Europe, French Guiana, Russia and Ukraine.

Name

UNEX

Legal name

UNEX a.s.

Website

https://unex.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

UNEX a.s. is a privately held Czech metallurgical and heavy engineering group that designs and manufactures bucket wheel excavators, heavy steel structures, castings and forgings for mining, aerospace, automotive, steelmaking, marine and rail customers across three plants in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Unicov

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom heavy engineering and steel structures: One-time project-based sales of welded parts, heavy steel structures and assembled machines (crane components, undercarriages for mobile launch platforms, bucket wheel excavators) engineered to customer drawings and specifications; includes modernization/overhaul contracts for existing mining equipment (e.g., CZK 275 million KU 800/12 contract).
2. Castings and forgings serial and batch production: Serial/batch production of steel, manganese steel, nodular and grey iron castings (50 grams to 18 tonnes) and die forgings (2–25 kg) supplied to automotive, truck/bus, construction equipment and air-conditioning manufacturers; for example, over 1.12 million pieces produced for the automobile industry in 2018.
3. Servicing, completion and assembly services: Field servicing, repairs, general repairs, reconstruction, on-site assembly and test assembly of bucket wheel excavators, loaders, conveyors and other mining units; also assembly of steel bridge constructions and facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UNEX is a vertically integrated metallurgical and heavy-engineering group that designs, manufactures and services bucket wheel excavators, heavy welded steel structures (up to 120 t), steel and iron castings (50 g to 18 t) and die forgings (2-25 kg) for multinational industrial customers. Operating three specialized plants (Uničov, Olomouc, Snina), it delivers one-off engineered products as well as serial and batch castings, plus on-site assembly, modernization and long-term servicing of mining and material-handling equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bucket Wheel Excavators (KU 800 series and predecessors) Design and manufacture of giant bucket wheel excavators for surface mining and overburden extraction, plus full-service modernization, repair and overhaul programs for the installed base. Targeted at large mining and quarrying corporations.
• Heavy Engineering and Welded Steel Structures

Quantifiable outcome

• CZK 3.12 billion turnover in 2018, up 30% over three years
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / strategic, core / project-specific, project-specific and recurring / supporting.

• Eiffage Métalflagship / strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNEX emerged successful from a multi-stage tender process (described as one of the most difficult tender processes ever at UNEX) to manufacture 16 sets of undercarriages and coupling components for the mobile building of the new Ariane 6 rocket launch platform at the Guiana Space Centre. In total, ~810 tonnes of steel structures are to be supplied, with materials including S460, S690, and 42CrMo4, using Method 136 welding, nitrogen freezing/heating and stress-relief annealing. The partnership is highly strategic due to the demanding quality, traceability and logistics requirements and UNEX's reference value in aerospace.
• CEC-Cranescore / project-specificStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNEX cooperated with CEC-Cranes to design and produce a special 20-axle torpedo ladle vehicle ordered by Voestalpine Stahl Donawitz GmbH. The torpedo weighs 146 tonnes (over 200 t with fireclay insulation), with a 2,900 mm cylinder diameter, intended to transport liquid pig iron at ~1,500°C between blast furnace and steelworks. Transport from Uničov to Austria was handled by ČD Cargo and Rail Cargo Logistics – Czech Republic.
• Bohemia Müller, s.r.o.project-specificImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCo-contractor with UNEX on the CZK 275 million overhaul and modernization of the KU 800/12 bucket wheel excavator for Sokolovská uhelná at Jiří quarry. Bohemia Müller handled the electrical works (replacement of air-isolated distributors, new frequency inverters, oil transformers, control system, cabin, sensors, fire alarms, camera/GPS/Wi-Fi systems, motors and complete motor maintenance). The repair involved 235,000 hours of labour, 108 workers at peak and 45 subcontracting companies.
• CzechTraderecurring / supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCzechTrade joint booth partner at Hannover Messe (2017, 2018) — UNEX exhibited as part of the Czech companies' collective national booth under the CzechTrade agency, gaining visibility among 210,000+ international visitors. CzechTrade also supported UNEX's presence at BAUMA Munich.
• DNVrecurring / supportingOthersOne of the world's leading certification operators, auditing UNEX's integrated management system annually since at least 2017. UNEX has passed successive ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 45001:2018 surveillance audits and ISO 50001:2018 recertification audits across all plants (most recently 20–23 May 2025).

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Komatsu: Komatsu is one of the largest global manufacturers of mining and construction equipment, including hydraulic excavators, dump trucks and surface-mining machinery that overlap with the end-customers UNEX serves through its bucket wheel excavators and heavy-engineering business.
• Caterpillar (Surface Mining & Technology): Caterpillar's surface-mining division supplies electric rope and hydraulic shovels, off-highway trucks and Cat® Minestar™ enabled equipment to the same surface-mining customers UNEX serves; although Caterpillar does not produce bucket-wheel excavators, it competes for the same large mining capex budgets and increasingly bundles full-life-cycle services that pressure independent niche suppliers.
• Liebherr: Liebherr manufactures mining excavators, crawler cranes and heavy steel structures for construction and mining customers that overlap with UNEX's heavy-engineering and large-component customer base; both firms compete for steel-structure and component supply contracts in mining and heavy lifting.
• Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions: Sandvik Mining supplies equipment, tools and aftermarket services for rock excavation and mining, serving many of the same surface and underground mining customers that purchase UNEX castings, forgings and modernization services; both companies are exposed to the global mining capex cycle.
• Thyssenkrupp: Thyssenkrupp's industrial solutions and steel divisions compete with UNEX in heavy engineering, large steel structures, foundry/casting capabilities and automotive components, and share customer overlap in European steelmaking and rail.
• FLSmidth: FLSmidth supplies mining and cement industry equipment, including conveying, crushing and material handling systems that overlap with UNEX's mining equipment and heavy steel structure portfolio; both firms serve large multinational mining and resources customers.

Others

• Voestalpine: Voestalpine is both a UNEX customer (the Voestalpine Stahl Donawitz torpedo ladle vehicle project) and a comparable operator in heavy steel, special castings and engineered steel products; it shares UNEX's metallurgy, heavy engineering and automotive customer base but operates at substantially larger scale across a broader product portfolio.
• Škoda Group (Škoda Transportation / Škoda Works): Škoda Group is the historical industrial predecessor of UNEX (UNEX's Uničov plant was originally created as a Škoda Plzeň branch in 1948–1950) and remains a Czech peer in heavy engineering, castings and rail-certified fabrication under EN 15085-2; it competes for similar heavy engineering and rail contracts in Central Europe.

Direct peers

• Manitowoc Company: Manitowoc manufactures crawler cranes, mobile cranes and lifting equipment with substantial heavy steel structures, large castings and welded components — directly comparable to UNEX's heavy-engineering product group and Snina plant output for handling and lifting equipment customers.
• TAKRAF (Tenova): Tenova's TAKRAF brand is the leading global manufacturer of bucket-wheel and bucket-chain excavators, open-pit mining equipment and conveying systems — directly competing with UNEX in the design, supply and modernization of large-scale surface mining equipment, including the giant bucket wheel excavators that are UNEX's flagship product.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/unexmetallurgy

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UNEX