KARMA, Page 2

About the company 

Karma is the largest manufacturer of convection gas stoves in the Czech Republic. The company continues its tradition, which was founded as early as 1910. In June 2006, Karma acquired the German brand of heating stoves Gamat – a brand known as "vafky"

History and present

Karma is synonymous with gas appliances. The name Karel Macháček, one of the most successful and most famous manufacturers, is closely linked to the beginnings of gas industry on the territory of the Czech Republic. Karel Macháček was the first to start mass production of high-quality gas appliances almost 100 years ago. He gave them a brand composed of the initial syllables of his first name and surname.

At the beginning of the 20th century, there was no Czech manufacturer of gas appliances for households. These appliances were supplied to Bohemia by foreign companies – mainly Siemens and Junkers. While in Budapest and Vienna the use of gas appliances for cooking, hot water preparation and ironing was quite widespread and gas industry was on the rise, in Prague there was a decline in this area. It was mainly caused by the arrival of electricity, which started to push gas out of street and apartment lighting. The use of gas was at a historical turning point and the idea of reconstructing gasworks was considered only later.

However, in Prague at that time, an unprecedented construction activity was taking place. Entire streets and blocks of new houses in suburban areas on both sides of the Vltava River were growing like mushrooms after rain, and a modern large Prague was emerging. In the new apartments at that time, gas pipelines were installed not for lighting, but for cooking and baking, for heating water and gradually even for heating. These circumstances were correctly identified and understood by a young enterprising man who knew that a half-million Prague could not exist for long without a factory and repair workshop for gas appliances. Therefore, he established a factory in Vysočany in 1910, where he started producing this range. That young man was none other than Karel Macháček.

Český Brod welcomes you

In an effort to free himself from dependence on foreign subcontracting foundry castings, Karel Macháček built his own modern foundry according to the example of American car manufacturers. When gas production was launched in the new gasworks in Michle with a large production capacity in 1927, a new modern Macháček factory was already standing in Český Brod. Macháček had this factory built to meet the constantly increasing demand from gas consumers for new stovetops, irons and stoves with a tool workshop, pressing machines, sand blasting equipment and a drum, as well as his own enameling workshop with two muffle furnaces. The factory in Libná continued to serve exclusively for the production and repairs of water heating appliances with output from 2 to 30 l/min. Here the factory had its own test laboratory, chromium plating, nickel plating and painting workshop with modern spraying equipment.