PBS Banská Bystrica, s.r.o., was established as one of První brněnská strojírna Holding, a.s., joint ventures to follow up long-standing successful traditions in placing heat-energy equipment on the Slovak market.

"Practically in each heat-energy production facility in Slovakia we can encounter equipment manufactured and installed by První brněnská strojírna," stated PBS Banská Bystrica director, Ing. Bartolomej Alman. "In addition to steam and hot water boilers, there were steam and combustion turbines, combustion devices and fuel systems, including processing to solid, liquid or gaseous fuel, heat exchange stations as a source of heat for heating residential and industrial premises, and the like. Many of this equipment are physically and morally worn and in most cases does not comply even with current ecological requirements for their operation. As over several decades První brněnská strojírna has trained in Slovakia dozens of experts for all areas of heat power engineering, this potential constitutes the basis for our company in the service of servicing of said equipment."

Thus PBS is fundamentally oriented toward repairs to and maintenance of original products of První brněnská strojírna, including spare parts, as well as modernisation and ecologisation of heat-energy operations using low-emission combustion equipment, cogeneration units for steam-gas processes and high efficient technological process control systems.

"Needless to say that for meeting the goal of maximum satisfaction of customers by delivering complex services in design, delivery, implementation and repair activities it is necessary to cooperate with external specialised companies, which revives also other areas of the Slovak economy," underscores B. Alman.

In connection with the companyis profile, he notes that the prospectus expressed with a sum of 80 million Sk in orders accepted for 1998 was exceeded by 15 million Sk and despite a bad situation on the Slovak financial market the company is functioning in the first year of its activity without credits. In the perspective by 2000 PBS plans to obtain 200 million Sk worth orders.

"In addition to activities in the Slovak market, we are also doing business in the Czech Republic, naturally in the area of servicing, but to a less extent and especially through První brněnská strojírna Holding," B. Alman completes the profile of the company. "We were involved, for example, in the realisation of waste heat boilers at Tepláreň Kyjov heat plant, service works at Elektráreň Mělník power plant and steam-gas processes at Tepláreň Kladno heat plant. In Slovakia, we are successful in reconstructing the heat plant in Banská Bystrica - Radvaň, repairs at VSŽ Košice, modernisation of technological processes at Tepláreň Bratislava - západ heat plant and maintenance work during the shutdown of technological equipment at SCP Ružomberok."

"Despite that PBS Banská Bystrica has already entered the mind of the Slovak customer mainly through its operability and quality work," B. Alman added in conluding, "in the light of development plans it is under a heavy pressure of insolvency which is unbelievably complicating and aggravating business conditions in Slovakia."