One of the oldest documented businesses in the region was founded in 1793 by Václav Nekut under the name NEVA – a wheelwright workshop and steam-powered sawmill in Kardašova Řečice. From the very beginning, it was a family-owned company, with traditions, responsibility, and craftsmanship passed down from generation to generation.
From a small workshop employing approximately ten people, the company gradually expanded thanks to the dedication of successive owners from the Nekut family. By 1940, it had grown into a factory employing around 45 people. The greatest expansion took place under the leadership of the last owner from the Nekut family, Václav Nekut. Stable family management and long-term vision enabled the systematic development of both production and technical facilities.
At that time, NEVA manufactured a wide range of products – sporting goods, sledges, skis, hockey sticks, agricultural wagons for horses and tractors, construction wheelbarrows, hand carts, bent spokes, food packaging, and machinery for export. The steam-powered sawmill produced sawn timber for manufacturing and construction purposes. The factory also operated its own power plant, ensuring energy self-sufficiency.
After nationalization in 1952, the company became part of Jihočeské dřevařské závody (South Bohemian Woodworking Works), which focused exclusively on the production of sawn timber and food-industry packaging. However, this period did not interrupt the technical continuity and know-how that had been built over generations.
In 1965, the company was incorporated into the KOH-I-NOOR enterprise, where production of pencil slats and sawn timber was introduced. During this period, the development of machines for cutting lamellas and pencil slats also began, significantly strengthening the company’s engineering tradition.
In 1991, NEVA returned to private ownership and reconnected with its family roots. Sawmill production was maintained both for commercial timber sales and for internal use, particularly for the production of pencil slats. At the same time, the company continued to develop its own design and manufacturing of woodworking machinery, especially in the field of thin-cutting technologies.
After 2000, production capacity expanded significantly. New production and assembly halls were built, modern technologies including CNC metal machining were introduced, and a production line for stellite-tipped saw blades was launched. By combining long-standing experience with modern technologies, the company systematically strengthened its competitiveness. During this period, NEVA employed approximately 190 people.
Today, NEVA is a stable family-owned company with more than two centuries of tradition. It builds on long-term relationships with customers and business partners, technical precision, and a responsible approach to future development. Its products – primarily specialized woodworking machinery – are exported worldwide. The portfolio includes products such: thin cutting frame saws, thin cutting band saws, automatic sharpening machines for band saw blades and frame saw blades, stellite-tipped and carbide-tipped saw blades, and other equipment for modern and efficient wood processing.
