Czech Companies Plan More AI and Automation Investment: Where Foreign Technology Suppliers Can Fit

Czech firms are prioritising digitalisation, robotics and AI. Foreign suppliers need a local use case, integration plan and credible first pilot.

Czech companies are signalling further demand for digitalisation, robotics and artificial intelligence. For a foreign technology supplier, however, the opportunity is not a general appetite for innovation. It is a specific operational problem that can be solved, integrated and supported in the Czech environment.

Czech companies are not treating automation and artificial intelligence only as future projects. In the 2026 business-environment survey presented by the Association for Foreign Investment, or AFI, 57% of respondents identified digitalisation and robotics as an important area for development. Another 54% named the implementation of AI tools.

The strongest reason is not fashion. A shortage of qualified workers was the most frequently reported burden, cited by 62% of respondents. When companies cannot recruit enough technicians, production specialists or administrative staff, technology that removes repetitive work or increases the capacity of existing teams becomes easier to justify.

This creates an opening for suppliers of industrial automation, machine vision, production software, AI workflows, document processing and other practical technology. But Czech customers are unlikely to buy a generic promise to “transform the business with AI”. They need to see where the solution fits, which systems it connects to, who supports it and what the first implementation will prove.

A strong signal, not a forecast for the whole Czech economy

More than 200 respondents took part in the AFI survey, including companies, chambers of commerce, business associations and other industry organisations.

The results show clear priorities within an investment-oriented business community:

Survey result	Share of respondents
Planning further investment in Czechia	81%
Prioritising digitalisation and robotics	57%
Prioritising implementation of AI tools	54%
Prioritising new products or processes	48%
Burdened by a shortage of qualified workers	62%
Burdened by legislation	41%
Burdened by global uncertainty	40%
Burdened by high energy prices	39%

These figures should not be presented as a statistically representative survey of every Czech company. The sample reflects organisations connected to the investment and business environment. It nevertheless provides a useful commercial signal: many established companies expect their next investment to improve productivity, processes and resilience.

For a foreign supplier, the correct conclusion is not that every Czech factory or office is ready to buy an AI platform. It is that there is a sizeable group of companies actively looking for practical ways to produce, process and serve more with limited specialist capacity.

Labour pressure changes the business case for automation

Technology projects are easier to approve when they address an existing constraint.

A manufacturer may need to increase output without adding another shift. A custom producer may have enough demand but too few experienced people able to prepare quotations. A distributor may lose time because product and supplier documents move through email and spreadsheets. An international e-commerce business may struggle to keep product information consistent across languages and sales channels.

In each case, the buying decision begins with an operational problem:

a skilled employee spends too much time on repeated data entry;
quality inspection cannot keep pace with production;
a machine waits because information arrives late;
quotation preparation delays the sales response;
product content must be updated in several systems and languages;
maintenance depends on the knowledge of a small number of people;
energy consumption is measured but not connected to production decisions.

The technology becomes relevant only after this problem has been defined. A customer does not primarily need an AI model, a robot or a dashboard. It needs a reliable improvement in capacity, quality, response time, cost or risk.

Czech examples show several different entry points

The opportunity is wider than installing robots on a production line. Czech companies are combining physical automation, production data and software workflows in different ways.

AI-supported inspection in automotive production

Škoda Auto’s 2025 annual report describes an accelerated rollout of AI-enabled automated camera-inspection systems across manufacturing processes. The company’s main production plants are in Mladá Boleslav, Kvasiny and Vrchlabí.

This is a useful example because machine vision is not sold as an abstract AI capability. It performs a defined production task: detecting irregularities, supporting quality control and helping teams respond before a defect or equipment problem becomes more expensive.

For a foreign supplier, this type of customer environment creates opportunities beyond the camera itself. A complete solution may require industrial hardware, edge computing, model deployment, integration with production systems, cybersecurity, maintenance and training for Czech operators.

The commercial question is therefore not only whether the technology works in a demonstration. It is whether it can operate at the required cycle time, connect to the plant environment and remain supportable after deployment.

Digital twins before physical commissioning

BenThor automation, a Czech company based in Mladá Boleslav, uses digital twins and virtual commissioning to test machines and production lines before physical implementation. A Siemens case study describes the practical outcomes as faster commissioning, lower costs, fewer errors and the ability for technical teams to work in parallel.

This shows another entry point for technology suppliers. The value is created before a machine reaches the customer’s factory. Simulation can reveal missing clearances, process conflicts and control problems while changes are still less expensive.

A foreign vendor offering simulation, production engineering or industrial software should therefore identify who owns the commissioning risk. The buyer may not be the general manager. It may be a machine builder, an automation integrator, a production-engineering team or a supplier responsible for delivering a complete line.

Automation beyond the factory floor

The same investment logic applies to digital workflows.

GymBeam reports using AI and automation across product localisation, customer service, procurement, software development, content production and logistics. Its model is unusually advanced, but the practical lesson is relevant to smaller companies: automation works when it connects structured data, clear rules, human responsibility and the systems where work already happens.

Our separate analysis of GymBeam’s automation operating model explains why the language model is only one component. The larger advantage comes from connecting the process from source data to review, publication and feedback.

For foreign software suppliers, this creates demand for document processing, multilingual workflows, customer-service support, product-information automation and integrations between existing tools. It also raises the standard. A Czech customer may expect the system to work with its real data and software, not in an isolated demonstration.

Quotation and request-for-quotation workflows

Custom manufacturers often depend on a small number of experienced people who understand materials, dimensions, production steps, exceptions and pricing rules. When every request must wait for one specialist, the quotation process becomes a capacity bottleneck.

An AI-assisted quoting workflow can help collect the right parameters, identify missing information, apply approved calculation rules and prepare a structured request for human confirmation. The system should not invent a final price. Its job is to make the first commercial response faster and more complete while preserving expert control over unusual work.

This is a promising area for foreign technology suppliers because it combines several capabilities: customer conversation, document extraction, product configuration, business rules, CRM or ERP integration and a controlled handover to a salesperson or estimator.

It is also a good example of why localisation matters. The customer may describe a requirement in ordinary Czech, while the manufacturer’s system uses technical fields, internal codes and production terminology. A useful solution must connect both languages.

The market opportunity is real, but the investment picture is mixed

The AFI survey shows that many companies already operating in Czechia plan further investment. That does not mean the country is receiving a broad new wave of greenfield investors.

Czech Television reported that the value associated with completely new foreign investors has declined compared with the peaks seen between 2006 and 2014. AFI executive director Ondřej Votruba described a current level of around CZK 20 billion, compared with more than CZK 100 billion during the earlier peak years.

This comparison should be treated as market context rather than a complete official investment series for 2026. It points to an important distinction:

investment by companies already present in Czechia can remain active;
the arrival of entirely new investors can slow at the same time.

For a technology supplier, existing Czech manufacturers, retailers, logistics operators and service businesses may therefore offer a more immediate route than waiting for new factories to be announced. These companies already have customers, staff, processes and systems. Their problem is often how to modernise them without interrupting the operation.

A translated sales presentation is not enough

Foreign suppliers often approach Czechia with strong technology and weak local implementation detail.

The presentation explains features, model accuracy or global references. The Czech customer still needs answers to more practical questions:

Which existing machines and software can the solution connect to?
What data must leave the customer’s environment?
Who configures the workflow and validates the result?
Is the interface and documentation available in Czech?
Who provides support during production hours?
How will cybersecurity, GDPR and sector requirements be handled?
What happens when the model is uncertain or the process falls outside standard conditions?
Which business result will the pilot measure?

A translated brochure cannot answer these questions on its own. The offer needs a local operating model.

That does not always require opening a Czech subsidiary. It does require clear responsibility, credible communication and a route from the first pilot to normal operation.

Five elements of a credible Czech offer

1. One defined customer problem

Choose a narrow use case that a buyer can recognise and measure. “AI for manufacturing” is too broad. “Reduce the time required to prepare a first quotation for standard enquiries” is specific enough to test.

2. A realistic integration map

List the systems, machines, documents and people involved. Identify the source of truth, the information the solution needs and the point where a person must approve the result.

In Czech companies, the existing environment may include international platforms, Czech accounting or ERP software, custom applications and spreadsheets that have become part of the daily process. Integration effort should be discussed before the pilot price is presented.

3. Czech-language operation where it matters

The management team may work in English while operators, customers or suppliers work primarily in Czech. Localisation may be required in the interface, documentation, onboarding, error messages, customer communication and support.

A Czech landing page can be a useful first market test, but it must connect to a real follow-up process. Our guide A Czech Landing Page Is More Than a Translation explains how to use one focused page to test an offer before building a complete local presence.

4. A pilot with measurable limits

The first implementation should define:

the process and data included;
the users and locations involved;
the systems to be connected;
the baseline result before automation;
the measures used to evaluate the pilot;
the conditions for stopping, correcting or expanding it.

Useful measures can include quotation response time, inspection accuracy, manual hours, rework, downtime, throughput, correction rate or cost per processed item.

5. Support after the demonstration

A successful proof of concept creates a new question: who keeps the solution working?

The customer needs to understand monitoring, updates, incident handling, model changes, user training and commercial responsibility. For industrial systems, remote support may also require a cybersecurity and access review.

The stronger offer explains this operating phase before the customer asks.

Three practical routes into the Czech market

Work with a Czech integrator or industry partner

This route suits suppliers whose product must connect to machines, production systems or sector-specific processes. A local integrator already understands the customer environment and may have the references and service capability that a foreign vendor lacks.

The partnership must still define ownership of sales, configuration, support, customer data and future development. A logo on a partner page is not a route to market.

Win one tightly scoped pilot

A direct pilot can work when the solution addresses a visible problem and the customer has an internal owner able to provide data and decisions.

Begin with one process, product family, department or location. Agree on the baseline and expected result. Use the pilot to learn about integration, Czech terminology and buying requirements as well as the technology itself.

Build local presence after validating demand

A Czech company or team can improve sales, contracting, support and access to customers. It also adds fixed cost and management work.

Before establishing a permanent local operation, validate the customer segment, buying cycle, price expectations, partner model and support requirement. The broader guide Entering the Czech Market provides a practical sequence for testing demand before scaling the local setup.

A focused 90-day preparation plan

Days 1–30: define the use case

Choose one customer segment and one operational problem. Interview potential buyers, integrators and users. Map the current process, cost and constraint. Identify local competitors and alternatives, including the customer’s option to do nothing.

Days 31–60: prepare the Czech proposition

Adapt the use case, terminology and evidence for the market. Define the integration assumptions, support model and pilot boundaries. Prepare a Czech-facing page or sales document with one clear next step.

Days 61–90: test the commercial route

Approach a limited number of relevant companies or partners. Use their questions to refine the offer. Aim for a technical workshop, data review or scoped pilot rather than broad awareness. Record why potential customers proceed, delay or decline.

At the end of the period, the supplier should be able to decide whether to deepen the partner route, invest in direct sales, adjust the use case or stop before committing more resources.

Where Kodo can help

Kodo helps international technology suppliers turn a broad Czech expansion idea into a practical first market test.

We can help define the Czech customer and use case, review local positioning, prepare Czech and English sales communication, build a focused landing page, map the pilot workflow and coordinate implementation with the relevant technical, legal or cybersecurity specialists.

The aim is not to promise a national launch before the evidence exists. It is to create the smallest credible test that shows whether the technology solves a real Czech business problem and what a wider rollout would require.

Discuss a Czech market check

The main conclusion

Czech companies are signalling continued investment in digitalisation, robotics and AI, driven in part by limited qualified labour and the need to improve productivity.

That is useful news for foreign technology suppliers, but it is not an invitation to sell generic innovation. The stronger opportunity sits inside a defined process: quality inspection, commissioning, quotation preparation, product information, customer service, maintenance or another workflow with a measurable constraint.

A foreign supplier is more likely to gain traction when it brings five things together: a specific use case, a credible integration plan, Czech-language operation where needed, a measurable pilot and dependable local support.

The technology opens the conversation. The operating model decides whether the customer can use it.

Sources

This article provides commercial and operational information, not legal, tax, cybersecurity or investment advice. Confirm the requirements of a specific deployment with the appropriate qualified specialists.