‘Česká zbrojovka’ translates to ‘Czech armory,’ and at one time there were many ‘CZs.’ CZ's sister company Česká zbrojovka a.s. Uherský Brod dates back to 1936, when it was established as a branch plant of Česká zbrojovka Strakonice. Production commenced on January 2, 1937 focusing on both military and civilian arms. The first products out the door were aircraft machine guns, military pistols and small-bore rifles, but during WWII the plant came under Nazi occupation and was forced to produce and repair military arms.
In post-war Czechoslovakia, the plant returned to production of both military and civilian arms, in equal measures. In 1950 the Company became a separate state enterprise named ‘Přesné strojírenství Uherský Brod’ (The Precision Machine Tooling Company, Uherský Brod) and was reorganized into a number of specialized departments.