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Group Ðuro Ðakovic

Group Ðuro Ðakovic provides products and services in two main areas: energy and industry, and vehicles and machines, where the group is specialised in the production of special and rail vehicles, such as battle tanks, wheeled armoured vehicles, freight wagons, tank wagons and engineering machinery. ÐURO ÐAKOVIC Specijalna vozila d.d. is owned by DDH (99,65 %) and it operates in the field of the second core business of Group Ðuro Ðakovic with regard to the production of special and rail vehicles. DDH is listed in Zagreb Stock Exchange.

In June 2012 ÐURO ÐAKOVIC Holding d.d. (DDH) and Patria signed a Frame Agreement confirming their common efforts in sales of Patria AMV vehicles to case-by-case selected third countries. DDH will be the prime contractor and will also have a significant role in the production of sold vehicles. The potential customer countries will be identified during the envisaged co-operation. The operative contract on delivery of armored wheeled vehicles to the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia is in full serial production at ÐURO ÐAKOVIC Specijalna vozila d.d. (DDSV), a subsidiary of DDH which has received all needed technology from Patria. DDSV has delivered over 70 armoured wheeled vehicles made in Croatia.

“Patria is pleased with the superior performance of DDSV’s serial production and this Frame Agreement solidifies the continuation of our successful long-term co-operation. We believe that this partnership with DDH supported by the Republic of Croatia will be a strong asset covering the new armoured wheeled vehicle market potential. This frame agreement strengthens Patria’s leading position as the supplier of armoured wheeled vehicles in the international market”, says Seppo Seppälä, President of Patria Land Systems and Patria Land Services.

“This agreement is the next huge step in our strategic partnership and opening the new markets for the excellent product Patria AMV. We want to thank Patria for the trust and the good co-operation so far. We have together done a great job and I am sure that this is just a beginning of a very successful story”, states Vladimir Kovacevic, President, Duro Dakovic Holding.

Patria intended to incorporate up to 50 percent of the components produced in Croatia, so that this modern armoured modular vehicle will have the right to print Made in Croatia on its wheels. All activities that are related to technology transfer, to the preparation of complete production and to the launching of the project went according to plan and a framework agreement on the integration of remote arming stations and other weaponry systems and specialised equipment related to armoured modular vehicles that was struck between the Ministry of Defence and Ðuro Ðakovic and that represents a potential framework for upcoming concrete agreements on the procurement of Patrias. This is an important project for the Armed Forces, for Ðuro Ðakovic d.d., for the development of the military industry in general and for the Croatian economy as a whole. The technology transfer, which unfolded with the AMV project, is of particular importance. Thanks to “Ðuro Ðakovic Holding d.d.” along with its partner Patria, many opportunities to be competitive on an international market will be presented.

The roots of the successful transition to Western technology lie at the very beginning of the large company’s military production, which is based in Slavonski Brod. The M-84 tank, the first product that was for the most part created at Ðuro Ðakovic, was created for the needs of the former state’s army in the early 80ies with a licence from the famous Soviet T-72. That, however, was its modernised version. The M-84’s platform had an Eastern design, but even then the tank had some Western elements, like the fire control system with a ballistic computer and passive night-vision devices. Already back then, just like Western tanks, they were capable of shooting a moving target while in motion.

This type of combined orientation was justified by the agreement that was signed in 1989 with very selective buyers from Kuwait. According to the agreement, the Middle-Eastern country’s army was equipped with many versions of the M-84, which are low silhouette tanks with high mobility levels that are lightweight and able to operate in the most varied weather and terrain conditions, day and night. Equipping the Kuwaiti Armed Forces with M-84 AB tanks was undergone under extremely complex conditions. It was the pre-war era in the former Yugoslavia, and deliveries to Kuwait began precisely at the moment when Iraq’s invasion of the country had begun. Tanks were delivered to Saudi Arabia, where Ðuro Ðakovic’s technical team was present and provided technical support and training. The tanks later successfully participated in the campaign for Kuwait’s liberation as the first combat vehicles to have entered the country. All the tanks that went into action successfully reached their goals, and all these vehicles are still operational today.

The Homeland War interrupted Ðuro Ðakovic Group’s upswing in production, but the company remained active during the conflict though some of its strategically important installations were constantly exposed to enemy threats. In May of 1991 employees prevented the former JNA’s takeover of about twenty tanks. During the summer of 1991 in Slavonski Brod, the Croatian Army founded its first armored unit, which was comprised of people and technology form Ðuro Ðakovic. In parallel, it was also capacitating armoured and anti-tank units from other brigades. During the entire war we organized mobile units that worked on the maintenance of armored vehicles on-site throughout Croatia.

“ÐÐ Special Vehicles” is a member of Ðuro Ðakovic Group that is specialised in military and rail production programs. Despite the scars left from the Homeland War, Ðuro Ðakovic came out of it restructured with the intent of becoming fully modernised, and in this it succeeded. Logically, the “ÐÐ Special Vehicles” part of Ðuro Ðakovic Group was designated as the strategic partner to the Croatian Ministry of Defence. The production and modernisation of M-84 tanks, as well as other vehicles for the needs of the Croatian Armed Forces, was successfully resumed. Here there is a long-term, continuous agreement. However, the new partnership level established the production of Patria armoured combat vehicles. When it was concluded that the new needs of the Croatian Armed Forces, members of NATO’s Army, included the acquisition of ACVs, it was natural for the MoD and the government of Croatia to mark ÐÐ Special Vehicles as the bearer of production.

The domestic producer, with all the proven and necessary capacities and abilities, was officially nominated even before the decision on which foreign company was to be included in the agreement was made. When in July 2007 it was decided that this company was to be Patria form Finland, the crown of the story was the development of Ðuro Ðakovic’s capacity to adopt the technology transfer to manufacturing superior and modern AMV 8x8 vehicles that meet all NATO standards.