The Košice Region is the second pillar of our commuting reach. From Prešov to Košice it's 45 minutes on the D1, which makes us effectively a local integrator for the entire Košice metropolitan area — Magna Kechnec, the U. S. Steel mill, Embraco/Nidec, Deutsche Telekom IT Solutions, the LOK aircraft MRO. In terms of share of our weekly site-visit calendar, the Košice Region sits second, right behind Prešov.
U. S. Steel Košice and the steel industry
U. S. Steel Košice is a steel mill with 13,000 workers and annual production of around 4 million tonnes of steel product. For an integrator it's an environment where every technical conversation begins with: "which zone are you working in?" Blast furnace, coke plant, hot-rolling mill, cold-rolling mill, galvanising line — each has its own regulatory geography: ATEX (zone 1 or 2 for the coke plant, zone 20/21/22 for dust environments), high-temperature zones (up to 800 °C around the rolling mill), and a distinct chemical handling regime in galvanising (acids, zinc bath).
For us U. S. Steel isn't a client where we'd do a full-scope expansion — that's the world of metallurgical project firms like SES Tlmače or Koksopt. But for administrative and IT infrastructure zones, for parts of plant maintenance, for smaller refit projects in zones 1 or 2 we're realistically deliverable. We hold training certificates for work in ATEX zones and have experience from multiple industrial audits.
Magna Slovteca Kechnec and semiconductor logistics
Magna Slovteca in Kechnec (Košice-okolie district, 30 km south of the city) is the pressing and body-build centre for Magna International. Our delivered `magna-kechnec` project (2024) covered structured cabling, optical backbone, integration of the Kardex warehouse system, and infrastructure for microchip-adjacent production.
Work in Kechnec has two dimensions for us. First, integration into Magna's global IT environment (Microsoft 365 global tenant, ServiceNow workflows, Magna Quality Management System). Second, Kechnec is interesting through its proximity to the microchip segment (the Kechnec municipal industrial park also hosts manufacturers of microchip components), which means surplus cleanroom zones, ESD protocols, and integration into high-purity water systems for wafer cleaning. This isn't our core specialisation, but the proximity gives us useful context.
In Košice we also have a second documented project — `packaging-relocation` (2024), relocation of a packaging plant with RFID tagging of precise goods movements, heavy-lift logistics for standard conveyor lines, and re-qualification of the line process at the new site.
Embraco / Nidec Global Appliance
Embraco (in Nidec Global Appliance's hands since 2018) in Košice produces refrigeration compressors for domestic refrigerators and freezers. Compressor production has technically specific traits — high final-brazing quality (because R600a refrigerant leaks are a safety issue — propane is flammable), careful pressure testing of every compressor, and integration into the supplier chains of major white-goods brands (BSH Bosch+Siemens, Whirlpool, Electrolux, Haier).
For us Embraco is interesting through automation of final-product inspection — leak detection at parts-per-million level, integration of AOI / X-ray inspection for brazed joints, MES tracking of every produced compressor with full genealogy.
Košice IT cluster — T-Systems, IBM, Ness
Košice is Slovakia's second-largest IT cluster after Bratislava. T-Systems Slovakia (Deutsche Telekom IT Solutions) is the region's largest private employer after U. S. Steel. For infrastructure work (data centre capacity, DCIM rollout, fibre backbone in the Aupark Tower and SteelArena Tower IT zones) it's a client with steady continuous demand.
For us it's relevant through the overlap of the Data Centres + Software/AI pillars: when T-Systems or IBM Košice plan a new internally hosted infrastructure, the question of cooling design (especially rear-door HX for IT racks above 25 kW), UPS sizing (mainly Eaton 93PM), and integration into existing DCIM (EcoStruxure IT or Sunbird dcTrack) arrives.
LOK Košice aircraft MRO
LOK Košice (Letecké Opravárne Košice) is a Slovak MRO firm with a tradition of repairing military and special-purpose aircraft. For an integrator it's an environment with the full EU aviation regulatory geography (EASA Part-145 organisation), strict tracking of measurement-equipment calibration, and integration into global logistics systems of OEM manufacturers (Leonardo Helicopters, Airbus Defence and Space).
For us LOK is the same category as Konštrukta Trenčín — for clean non-security zones we're deliverable, for internal aviation workshops a separate vetting is required.
Our commuting relationship
45 minutes by car. For the Košice Region we're effectively local — we can be on site the same day, one-day trips are the norm, and most work runs without overnight stays. For official communication (ÚIK Košice, the regional building authority, the regional SOI office) we have direct contacts.
For Kechnec, Sečovce, Trebišov the commute is only 15 minutes longer than to Košice itself. For Spišská Nová Ves and the southern edges of the region (Rožňava, Tornaľa) it's about a 90-minute commute.
Which pillars fit best
For U. S. Steel and the metallurgical industry — **Electro + Industry** with strong ATEX and hardened-equipment focus. For administrative and IT zones we're without limitations; for core metallurgical work we specialise via a subcontractor model.
For Magna Kechnec and the automotive supplier orbit — **Electro + Software/AI + Data Centres**, exactly as our delivered project demonstrates. Structured cabling, optical backbone, warehouse-system integration, Magna QMS-friendly documentation.
For Embraco/Nidec and similar compressor plants — **Automation + Industry** with focus on final QC and leak detection. SiC power semi is less important here, but precise process control is.
For the IT cluster (T-Systems, IBM, Ness) — **Data Centres + Software/AI**, in the spirit of our `ai-cluster-research-lab` project from Cluj-Napoca.
Conclusion
Košice is almost a home location for us. We work here regularly, we have verifiable projects (Magna Kechnec, packaging-relocation), and most new contracts in the Košice area come through known contacts and references. For the Košice Region nobody ever needs to ask "can you get here?" — the answer is yes, we can be here tomorrow morning.