Zetor Tractors celebrates 60th anniversary

Jede traktor
je to Zetor
jede do hor
orat brambor

(A tractor rides, it is Zetor, it rides to mountains plough potatoes.) says a song from Czech music band Vysací Zámek.

Zetor company, making tractors has 60th birthday. This specialized part of automobile industry was in former Czechoslovakia at world top level. Even 30 000 tractors were made in one year in best years. Most of them were exported and it is very interesting that in times, where was no freedom of trade with abroad, most of tractors were sold into Western world, not communistic East. It was because Zetors were hi-tech goods in there times and it was profitable to sold them to rich west.

Zetor has great history. Even Che Guevara, most known hero of revolution has a photo, where he sits at Zetor. Pub in Finland has name Zetor and in some Near east states word “zetor” replaced common word “tractor”.

Zetor almost was bankrupt in 1999, but new investor turn it. Now produces 6000 tractors a year, two new models will be built in next months and this year company wants to reach 3 per cent quota at USA market in middle output class. Gap in production of higher class is planned to be removed.