Interview with the CEO of NKO Machines

Since 2000, the name NKO Machines has gradually become synonymous with professional beveling technologies. What started as a small Czech engineering company has grown into an international industrial brand exporting beveling systems to more than 70 countries worldwide.

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Today, NKO Machines is recognized as one of the leading manufacturers of beveling systems for steel fabrication, stainless steel processing, welding preparation, and heavy industry.

We spoke with CEO Milan Richtr about the company's journey, innovation, global growth, and the future of beveling technologies.

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Mr. Richtr, NKO Machines has been active since 2000. What was the original vision behind the company?

From the very beginning, the idea was simple:
to do things differently.

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At that time, beveling was often considered only a secondary manufacturing process — something overlooked within the metalworking industry. We believed there was enormous potential for innovation, productivity improvement, and technical development.

We did not want to simply sell machines.

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We wanted to create our own technological solutions and help shape the future of beveling.

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Today your technologies are used worldwide. Did you expect such international growth?

Honestly, in the beginning nobody thinks about exporting to dozens of countries around the world.

But we always had international ambitions. We never wanted to remain only a local manufacturer. Our goal was to develop products capable of competing with global brands in quality, reliability, innovation, and performance.

Today our beveling systems operate in:

  • shipbuilding
  • heavy steel fabrication
  • energy and power industries
  • welding production
  • industrial manufacturing
  • infrastructure and construction projects

That international growth is the result of long-term work, continuous development, and strong partnerships.

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What makes NKO Machines different from competitors?

One of our biggest advantages is that we focus on real industrial practice.

Many of our solutions are developed directly from feedback provided by operators, production engineers, and industrial companies worldwide.

We pay close attention to:

  • high beveling efficiency
  • operator comfort
  • mobility and flexibility
  • automation
  • stainless steel and hard material processing
  • long machine lifetime
  • easy maintenance and service

Our machines are not designed only for catalogs or exhibitions.

They are built for real production environments.

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Innovation has always been associated with NKO Machines. How important is development?

Innovation is absolutely essential.

If you want to remain a leader in industrial technologies, standing still is not an option. Development must be continuous.

Many of our technologies required years of research, testing, and improvement before reaching the market. Some of our solutions helped redefine expectations in the beveling industry itself.

We constantly invest in new concepts, automation, production optimization, and advanced beveling technologies for demanding industrial applications.

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How do you see the position of N.KO Machines today?

I believe we successfully built a strong European industrial brand with global reach.

At the same time, we still try to preserve the values that defined us from the beginning:

  • engineering know-how
  • flexibility
  • innovation
  • direct communication
  • long-term partnerships
  • close connection to real manufacturing

We are not a corporation disconnected from production reality.

We live industrial manufacturing every single day.

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Where do you see the future of the company?

The future is highly international.

We continue strengthening our presence across Europe, North America, and other global markets. We are also developing new projects focused on manufacturing, automation, digitalization, and international industrial cooperation.

At the same time, we want to continue pushing the boundaries of beveling technologies.

Beveling is often underestimated, but in reality it has a major impact on:

  • welding quality
  • production speed
  • operational efficiency
  • manufacturing costs
  • final product precision

And this is exactly where we see our mission:
to bring smarter, faster, and more advanced solutions to modern industry.

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What does being “a leader in beveling since 2000” personally mean to you?

Leadership is not only about company size or sales numbers.

A true leader helps move the entire industry forward.

It means bringing new ideas, inspiring innovation, setting technical standards, and continuously improving what is possible.

That has been our philosophy since 2000.