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TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS
INVESTMENTS IN POLAND
FROM THE REGIONS
DID YOU KNOW?
FROM THE EDITOR The unceasing interest of investors in £ód¼ and its surrounding region, confirms that the monthly Forbes magazine weren’t mistaken, when in December of last year it recognised the district as the most interesting one for foreign investors. 30 Polish firms are competing at the CeBIT fair - Hannover’s technology sector event, with foreign companies from the IT field. This week we’ve also written about further new investments in the Wa³brzych and Katowice Special Economic Zones. In the first, the construction of the Swedish firm: MCC UWE’s factory has been finished and in the second, production plants are being built for two Italian firms: Gimplast and Magneti Marelli Exhaust Systems. Pleasant reading! PAIiIZ’s editorial team NEWS
Large Corporations place their hopes in £ód¼ Over 770 million EUR will be spent by foreign investors in £ód¼ this year. New investors are already in line.
In December 2007 the City and its neighbouring poviats (local authorities) was recognised by the monthly Forbes magazine, as the most attractive region for the location of industrial investments in Poland. According to City Bureau’s estimates, the sum of investment capital could reach 773 million EUR. In £ód¼, a “DELL effect” is spoken of. The Company’s newly built computer works is begining to attract the firm’s sub-contractors: RR Donnelly, Flextronics and Rebab. A similar occurrence was observed earlier, following the opening of the Bosch-Siemens and Indesit production plants, which are giants in the field of domestic appliances. This year DELL and Isopak are planning reinvestments. Further decisions to enter £ód¼’s market have already been taken by new companies: the Australians Amcor Rentsch, producers of packaging for crisps, the German firm DSWI (sub-contractors to Bosch), or the Finish TP Konepajat, manufacturers of cranes and steel lengths.
Further investors are to be encouraged by an advertising campaign. Last year one of these was carried out via the BBC - in March and April another one is to follow. £ód¼ has for several years been working on its image, e.g. by introducing a special development strategy. - The most important element of the program is the development of the domestic appliances cluster, as Bosch and Indesit have been in £ód¼ since the mid 1990s, then development of the BPO sector (Business Process Offshoring) - and IT, together with logistics - said Mr Marek Michalik, vice-president of £ód¼’s investment department. Today £ód¼ can be proud of the significant fall in unemployment - the current level is only 8.8% - whereas only 6 years ago it stood at 20%.m - In 2007 7.5 thousand jobs were created and 22 investments were completed and this year there’ll probably be 39. I don’t want to use the word “great”, but today £ód¼ is truly a vast building site - Mr Michalik added. (Rz)
A Polish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce is opened The Polish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce has inaugurated its activities. - The Chamber will support the trading interests of both countries’ firms and ease the establishment of commercial contacts - said its president Mr Pedro Pereira da Silva.
As Mr Pedro Pereira da Silva, stated during the opening of the chamber, since the time of Poland’s entry into the EU the number of Polish companies with Portuguese capital has risen threefold. Poland is today the fourth largest market for Portuguese foreign investments. - Portugal’s investment of 400 million EUR in Poland, places it twentieth amongst the largest Polish foreign investors - Mr Pereira da Silva, concluded. Mr Jan Szuszkiewicz, Chief Specialist at the Ministry of the Economy’s Department of Foreign Affairs, believes that Portugal is an important partner for investments in Poland. - Portugal has built over 2,000 km of motorway in the last 15 years; in this respect we can learn from Portugal how to utilise these funds, which is what we intend to look into - he told. The Chamber has been set up by 22 businesses. This group will be increased by Polish, Portuguese and international firms, which are based either in Portugal, or Poland. The Chamber’s president is Mr Pedro Pereira da Silva, who is General Director of Jeronimo Martins Distribution, owners of the “Biedronka” retail chain. (PAP) Polish technology has become fashionable 30 firms are representing Poland at the technology sector’s largest European fair, the CeBIT event in Hanover. Polish businessmen are increasingly boldly coming to joust with the foreign competition.
At the technology sector’s largest European fair, the CeBIT event in Hanover, which began last week - Poland has 30 representatives. This is a large number, even among the 6 thousand exhibitors from 77 different countries. - Polish IT firms need the example that they can achieve success in this field. In a few years time instead of seeing a few dozen Polish firms at such international fairs, we’ll see several hundred of them - Mr £ukasz Osowski, President of Ivo Software, predicted. His firm has designed an original voice synthesiser, which has rapidly achieved recognition in Poland. It has also a Rumanian language synthesiser (the only one on that market), together with one in American English. It shortly hopes to issue a French language model in a Canadian version and a British English model. As a result of this, the world’s markets will be opened to the company. Ivo are at the CeBIT fair for the first time, but have estimated that their investment will shortly be repaid. In turn, Gdynia’s MasterTelecom is a manufacturer of programming for call-centres. - Thanks to our system, a firm can see how many people are calling with queries for consultants, how much time is spent on the phone and which questions are most frequently asked - Mr Jacek Tomaszewski, the company’s owner explained. - The product is already well known in Poland, but it’s now possible to introduce it into other countries, as we’ve produced an English version especially for CeBIT - he added. The company InteliWise, is presenting programming at the fair, which will enable to create our own personal avatar on a website. Up to now the programme has been used by LOT (among others). - It’s not only about whether the sites of banks or the giant corporations can become more “human”. Our programme can above all read questions that are asked in everyday speech. The avatar establishes a real conversation with the user and guides them step by step through a WWW site, e.g. to purchase an airline ticket - Mr Marcin Strza³kowski, the firm’s boss explained. In his opinion this type of programming will become the world standard, in a couple of years time. (GW) INVESTMENTS IN POLAND MCC UWE opens a factory in the Wa³brzych Special Economic Zone (WSEZ) MCC UWE, at a cost of 19 million PLN will build at O³awa a heat exchangers plant for air conditioning systems of lorries. There will be app. 100 workplaces offered at the manufacturing plant.
The manufacturing works is being built due to cooperation between the firms MCC UWE and the PM Group Poland, which was responsible for the project’s preparation and overseeing the factory’s construction. The investor has allocated 19 million PLN to set up the plant within the WSEZ. At the new factory, which covers an area of over 6 thousand m2, app. 100 people will find employment, of which 25 will be white collar workers and 75 in production. As Ms Joanna Bensz, the director of the development dept. at PM Group Poland said, - WSEZ ensure very good conditions and foreign investors are eagerly developing their projects here. The work of realising MCC UWE’s investments has taken eight months. Currently the factory is awaiting permission to be opened. UWE is a Swedish firm, which belongs to the Canadian MCC Corporation, which specialises in the manufacture of cooling, heating and ventilation systems, designed for the motor industry. Whereas PM Group Poland are involved in the management of projects, project and architecture services, together with technical consultancy, for the private and public sectors. (PM Group Poland) Electrolux doubles employment Electrolux intends to hire 300-400 workers this year - the representatives of ¦widnik’s cooker factory stated.
- We’re seeking people that are simply eager to work. Already today we’re going to employ 50 people and in the coming months we’ll be seeking more. We’re not just looking for young people, but for also for middle aged workers - Ms Iwona Sowińska, Department of Personnel Director at Electrolux in ¦widnik, said. Apart from production workers at the ¦widnik factory, they’re seeking electricians, mechanics for maintaining the production line and technology engineers. The hiring process has moved ahead at full pace and the first people to successfully pass through the recruitment process will begin employment in April and May. Further employment is planned in two stages - in July and August and then in October and November. There are 260 workers already working at the plant, whilst by the end of the year there should be app. 660. The increased employment is connected with the opening of new production lines at the ¦widnik plant and the expansion of the selection of cookers produced. (UM ¦widnica) New investors are conquering Sosnowiec Two Italian companies, Gimplast and Magnetti Marelli Exhaust Systems Poland, are building factories in Sosnowiec, in the Katowice Special Economic Zone (KSEZ). Both will be ready before the end of this year.
Representatives of the KSEZ confirmed the information regarding Gimplast’s construction of a plant, to produce half-finished products and ready made parts from rubber and plastics, for the domestic appliance and automotive sectors. Thanks to an investment valued at 23 million PLN, new jobs will be provided for 80 workers at the KSEZ site. The Magnetti Marelli Exhaust Systems Poland investment will employ over 150 new workers, by spending 42 million PLN to build a manufacturing plant for car exhaust systems. The venture will take place on a 4.5 ha plot - the first section to be added to the KSEZ from a new 20 ha site at Miko³ajczyk St.
According to Mr Igor Jelonek, of the KSEZ, building work in Sosnowiec has been begun on a road connecting Miko³ajczyk with Wojska Polskiego Streets. This will connect the remaining 15 ha of the site located in the town, allowing other investors to move in. The Sosnowiec sub-zone has been receiving a lot of interest recently, together with the neighbouring sub-zone in D±browa Górnicza. Some weeks ago the KSEZ was enlarged by additional land at D±browa Górnicza-Tucznawa, the additional area of the sub-zone covers 100 ha. and shortly the gmina (local authority) plans to construct a four lane approach road to the site and to install the essential utilities for investments. The Katowice Special Economic Zone is the largest of the 14 Polish Zones. It’s been operating for over 10 years and has issued over 160 trading permits. The capital that has been invested and planned for current investments exceeds 4 billion EUR. According to Mr Piotr Wojaczek’s (President of the KSEZ) forecast, in 2008 the Zone expects investments valued at app. 1.5 billion PLN and the creation of at least 2.5-3 thousand workplaces (today over 35 thousand people already work there). (PAP) MACROECONOMIC POLAND
Source: www.nbp.pl FROM THE REGIONS Kielce will form a company with a Chinese investor The Yu Long Construction Company Sp z o.o. (Jade Dragon) a Chinese investor will trade with the City of Kielce and the communal Regional Nature Business (RPZ). The City of Kielce Council agreed to join the company last week.
The City will receive a 15% share of the initial capital, valued at 120 thousand PLN, RPZ - 20%, valued at 160 thousand PLN and a private investor Chin Xiaohui Zeng 65% at 520 thousand PLN. The company will carry out many projects with the aid of structural funds. As Mr Mieczys³aw Pastuszko, Director of the Department for Structural Projects and City Strategy said, the main activity of the company will be construction - particular of homes. The City believes that due to this cooperation it will meet its citizens’ demand in the sphere of social amenities, communal and temporary housing projects. The needs will increase, as investments in the construction of roads will lead to the necessity of demolishing housing and the movement of tenants. Mr Pastuszko, added that the Chinese investor already is in business in the Pomorze voivodship. The companies linked to the firm are to encourage further Chinese entities into cooperation with Kielce. Kielce’s President - Mr Wojciech Lubawski, is undertaking many activities that are aiming to make Kielce a centre for cooperation with the Chinese in Poland. A Polish-Chinese business park is established in Kielce and the city’s authorities are planning to open its own agency in Beijing. Mr Lubawski has also signed a business agreement for cooperation with China International Industry and Commerce (CIIC). A Chinese album of Kielce has been issued and promotional material for the Town Hall has been translated by a Chinese trainee. (PAP) DID YOU KNOW? Polish inventions that received European awards, displayed at an exhibition in Warsaw During the XV Polish Inventions Fair at the Warsaw Technical Museum, there was an exhibition of inventions honoured at the LVI Brussels Eureka Inventions Fair in Belgium.
Of the exhibits is among others, innovative apparatus for the early disclosure of cancers, honoured with the Brussels Grand Prix. The equipment was constructed by the scientists from the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice, the Silesian Medical University and the Institute of Medical Technology and Equipment (ITAM) in Zabrze. They producced a spectrometer (a machine for the analysis of light), which displays the difference between light reflected by healthy and unhealthy tissue, as a result of which the early stages of skin cancer and - with the aid of an endoscope - internal body tissue can be revealed. The second piece of equipment to receive an award, are spectacles which help the blind to get aid over the phone. The glasses which are equipped with a camera and microphone are connected to a cell phone, which connects the blind person with his assistant-guide. The picture and sound registered by the glasses are sent live to the guide’s computer, which using an agreed code sends the blind person information on what is occurring around him. The blind person hears the voice of the assistant on the telephone, or on speakers connected to it. Such an “e-guide” could even be a person who is physically disabled - to use the system unnecessary to leave the house. The Warmil Company that produces the glasses, received a silver medal for its invention in Brussels. The Industrial Research Institute for Automation and Measures presented the “scout”, which won a gold medal at the fair - it’s a miniature reconnaissance robot. The robot looks like a miniature tank, weighs 13 kilos and fits in an army rucksack; it has two cameras mounted in the apparatus and sends pictures back to a controller. The inventors claim in their product’s description that the “scout’s” irreplaceable for unmanned reconnaissance, because of the possibility of connecting other equipment to it, e.g. a manipulator with a gripper, additional cameras (i.e. infra red), various types of sensor (e.g. for radioactivity), together with armament. The robot is also adapted to sever trip wires from landmines and to place explosive devices for the controlled detonation of bombs. (PAP)  Editorial office: Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, 00-585 Warsaw, Bagatela Street 12Economic Promotion Department tel: (+48 22) 334 98 15, fax: (+48 22) 334 99 98, e-mail: redakcja@paiz.gov.pl | |||||||||||||
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