Czech Chemical Industry
photo: (wikimedia.org, autor Palickap)
The chemical industry is the third biggest industrial branch in the Czech Republic. It is an indicator of the economic level of the country because it requires highly qualified labour and sufficient raw materials, water and electric energy. The products of the chemical industry are raw materials for other industrial branches.
The Czech chemical industry is concentrated in large production complexes which are preferably located near their sources. Bohemia is home to the Elbe chemical region (from Ústí nad Labem to Hradec Králové). Moravia houses the Moravian chemical region (mainly in the central and lower areas of the Morava River). As regards crude oil processing, the proximity of the oil pipeline (Litvínov, Kralupy nad Vltavou) is very important.
The Czech chemical sector can be divided into several areas: basic chemistry, crude oil processing (petrochemistry), pharmaceutical industry (production of medicaments), rubber-making industry and plastic materials and paper industries. The most important of them are the production of basic chemicals (64% of total revenues) and production of medicaments (17%). The shares of the other five branches are lower: production of chemical specialities and fibre (9%), production of cleaning agents and cosmetics (5%), production of painting materials (4%), production of pesticides and agrochemicals (1%).
Important chemical industry companies within the Czech Republic:
- Basic chemistry: Spolana Neratovice, Lovochema Lovosice, Spolchemie Ústí nad Labem, Setuza Ústí nad Labem, Hexion Specialty Chemicals Sokolov (former Chemické závody Sokolov), Syntezia Pardubice, Synthos (former Kaučuk) Kralupy nad Vltavou, Deza Valašské Meziříčí, Precheza Přerov, BorsdoChem MCHZ Ostrava, Fosfa Břeclav etc.
- Petrochemistry: Unipetrol, Česká rafinérská Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo Pardubice and Kolín, Benzina
- Pharmaceutical industry and cosmetics: Zentiva Praha, Galena Opava, Chemopharma Ústí nad Labem, Dermacol Praha
- Rubber-making industry: Kaučuk Kralupy nad Vltavou, Barum Otrokovice, Gumotex Břeclav, Gumárny Zubří
- Plastic products: Fatra Napajedla, Technoplast Chropyně, Plastimat Liberec, Advanced Plastics Vrbno pod Pradědem
- Paper industry: Papírny Větrní, Papírny Štětí