ELDIS Pardubice is growing, tackling new projects, and hiring employees.
A side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic was the temporary suppression of air traffic, leading to a drop in revenue for air traffic control in many countries. As a result, these organizations had to cancel or postpone recruitment and dampen air transportation development. Among those affected was radar manufacturer Eldis Pardubice. However, the current situation and especially the outlook for the future promise significant improvement. So much so that Eldis Pardubice, who has been a member of the CSG group and its CSG Aerospace division since 2017, is launching a major recruitment drive, aiming to hire several dozen new employees.
In past years, the company has shown its financial health. Despite the postponement of several significant orders, the company remained highly profitable. Eldis owes this mainly to its limited dependence on external suppliers. A significant percentage of its radar systems are self-manufactured. The radar manufacturer has also focused on developing a new generation of all its main products: primary, secondary, and precision approach radars, thereby strengthening its market competitiveness. In 2022, Eldis Pardubice reported nearly 600 million crowns in revenue, with a promising outlook for the future.
“Many projects were canceled or postponed during the COVID era. But now the market is reviving and tenders are emerging. We have been successful in many of them, for example, winning a tender to supply two combined and one secondary radar for Polish air traffic control PANSA. We will also be installing our new generation radars here, making this project a significant reference for us,” says Filip Vogel, Commercial Director of Eldis Pardubice.
In addition to new projects, a number of previously won projects are also in process. This year, a comprehensive RPL-2000 radar system, consisting of primary, secondary, and precision approach radars, will be installed at the military airport in Prešov. This completes the delivery of these systems to all three Slovak army airports, signed in 2020, for an amount exceeding 500 million crowns. Similarly, systems from Eldis Pardubice are also used at all four Czech military airports, namely in Prague-Kbely, Pardubice, Náměšť nad Oslavou, and Čáslav.
Additionally, a major order for India is being fulfilled, a country where Eldis Pardubice has long been successful, and its radars cover 99% of the country’s area. In 2021, Eldis Pardubice, in collaboration with its Indian partner, secured an order for the supply of 11 combined radars, both primary and secondary, for the Indian Navy and Air Force. Currently, the second radar is being prepared for delivery, and the third one is being completed.
“Delays compared to the plan are significant due to COVID, but the project is ongoing. I travel to India every two months. Currently, we have several more opportunities with the Airports Authority of India, their civil air traffic control. We have been cooperating with them for 15 years, have delivered radars there, and have a testing and service center where they test radar components themselves. For illustration: we currently have 25 radars installed in India, and with those for the Navy, it will be 36,” clarifies Filip Vogel.
The company is also successful on other continents. In Morocco, Eldis Pardubice won a contract for two secondary radars, with the first one already delivered. A significant reference was also a recent secondary radar installation in Colombia. The Pardubice-based company is also looking at Europe, with a significant reference soon to be acquired in Germany, where it will deliver a new generation precision approach radar PAR-NG for a military airport. This order could potentially help the company break into other NATO armies.
Given the order fullness and other significant projects in sight, Eldis Pardubice is now preparing to hire several dozen new employees. Most of them for the technical department, where, among other tasks, they are working on the development of a new generation of radars, planning for a 3D radar project, and, in collaboration with partners, Eldis Pardubice recently completed a grant project to develop its radome, a radar cover. But the company also needs production workers. The company’s career page currently lists 12 different job positions.
“At the moment, we need to hire people for various positions, including production. But mainly, we need to strengthen our technical department, especially development. Given the market demands, new products, and projects we are addressing, the technical department is crucial for us. Even though there is a shortage of people in this field, it is positive that recruitment is successful. Potential employees see Eldis as an interesting and attractive company,” says Pavlína Novotná, HR Director of Eldis Pardubice.
About ELDIS Pardubice
ELDIS Pardubice, s.r.o. is a purely Czech company, established in Pardubice in 1991. Since its inception, it specializes primarily in the development and manufacture of radar technology and systems for air traffic control. It is currently a leading Czech manufacturer of active radar systems. Customers in more than 25 countries worldwide use the company’s products, including the Czech Republic. These radar systems serve both civil organizations managing air traffic and military entities. The most important current products of the company are the primary overview radar RL-2000, secondary overview radar MSSR-1, and precision approach radar PAR-E. For all these key products, the company is currently completing their new generation, which is fully in line with EUROCONTROL and ICAO standards. Since 2017, ELDIS Pardubice has been part of the industrial holding Czechoslovak Group and its CSG Aerospace division.
Edited and translated: Katerina Urbanova, EIC @ ACE
Original text: Jaroslav Martinek, PP Partners Prague
