| POLISH INFOMATION AND FOREIGN INVESTMENT AGENCY | |||||||||||
NEWSLETTER March 12th 2009, Number 113 | |||||||||||
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TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS
INVESTMENTS IN POLAND
FROM THE REGIONS
ANALYSES AND REPORTS
DID YOU KNOW...?
FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, We are glad to inform that latest reports published this week confirm the high investment attractiveness of Poland and the country’s good economic situation in the context of global downturn. We recommend you to read more on the reports by Jones Lang LaSalle and Grafton Recruitment, the report by Allianz SE and the Lisbon Council and the study by Moody’s. The good investment climate in Poland has also been confirmed by investment declarations presented by the Swiss-based Octapharma and the Starachowice SEZ’s new inwestor - Logis. Pleasant reading! PAIiIZ’s editorial team NEWS Poland attractive to BPO investment According to the report Onshore, Nearshore, Offshore: Unsure?, Poland is one of the most attractive BPO investment destinations. The study was prepared by Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, Jones Lang LaSalle and Grafton Recruitment.
The study looks at the Polish investment attractiveness in the BPO sector in that it assesses Poles’ professional qualifications and linguistic competence, the country’s infrastructure, investment incentives available in the country and the local real estate market i.e. basic elements considerably influencing the process of investment selection in the BPO sector. The report clearly indicates that, first of all, the pace of the Polish economy development outstrips other EU economies. The 2009 economic forecasts for Poland show GDP growth in the country may rise by 2% as opposed to the majority of the rest of European countries where the economy is expected to shrink. Secondly, the country may boast of a substantial young and talented pool of specialists, with 400.000 university graduates enriching the available qualified cadres every year. The quality of provided services and creativity of Polish employees has always been highly appreciated by foreign concerns and thus was crucial in attracting further investment projects, also those involving advanced processes. Undoubtedly it is the competitive level of salaries and the wide range of investment incentives on offer that play an important role in shaping the trend. In fact, the Polish labour market is stable with attrition level typically not exceeding 15%. Apart from being stable it is also attractive - Polish employees do tend to be highly qualified and speak foreign languages i.e. not only the most popular English language but also German and French. Pay expectations in Poland still continue to be considerably lower than in the rest of Western Europe. Moreover, easy access to office space constitutes another highly appreciated factor drawing investment to Poland. The outlook for commercial premises market in the country for the years 2009-2010 is bright for tenants. The majority of office blocks in the biggest Polish cities do meet the highest European standards (A class) with big office space suitable for the sector’s requirements on offer. Renting rates begin at 13 EUR/m2 a month. However, experts advise that in order to secure the possibility of a pre-let agreement or a “made-to-measure” office projects inquiries concerning big office space should be settled in advance. (PAIiIZ) AutoEvent 2009 under the patronage of PAIiIZ This year’s edition of AutoEvent - a conference of the Polish Car Industry will be held in Wrocław on May 26th-27th. The event enjoys a honorary patronage of the Ministry of Economy and the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ).
The event will host round 20 panel experts and speakers - among them also representatives of the Ministry of Economy and PAIiIZ, delegates from car making companies, economic experts, specialists from the Katowice Special Economic Zone and delegates from the Swedish Trade Council. During the two-day conference general issues of key importance for the sector, current difficulties and changes awaiting the market in the future will be discussed. Panel experts will present forecasts concerning the industry in Poland and in Europe. Questions relating to production, acquisition strategies, innovation and technology solutions will be confronted in the context of the new economic situation. The first of two special discussion panels will be devoted to the Katowice Special Economic Zone - one of the most dynamically developing Polish SEZs hosting a large number of projects from the sector. The second panel will concern innovative solutions in the field of technology and management. During the conference participants will also have the opportunity to visit fairs where manufacturers producing car parts and car components will display their products and present solutions for the car industry. Companies interested in the fairs should contact the AE2009 trade office at handlowy1@pim.org.pl. As every year conference participants will have the opportunity of direct business talks with marketing department representatives of concerns like Volkswagen or Ford during the so called AutoEvent 2009 “shop days”. Conference organisers do encourage all the companies interested in self presentaion during the event to email strycka@pim.org.pl, Tel: 48 22 646 08 18. For more information visit www.autoevent.pl. INVESTMENTS IN POLAND Octapharma to invest 700 million PLN One of the world’s biggest private plasma processing companies wants to invest in Poland. A modern processing facility worth 700 million PLN is expected to generate over 500 workplaces for highly qualified specialist.
The company is ready to incur all the investment costs estimated at the moment at around 700 million PLN, directly hire 500 highly qualified specialists and indirectly generate 2000 more workplaces in cooperating facilities. Jarosław Czarnota, General Director at Octapharma Polska hopes the project will be positively assessed by the Polish authorities: - I am convinced that our project stands a good chance of receiving support as it is a clear answer to the needs of the Polish health system in the field of haemotherapy and a solution to the lingering problem of a lack of a well thought-out scheme for blood derivative products distribution in Poland. The Swiss-based Octapharma AG was established in 1983 and is now one of the biggest private global plasma fractionation specialists and blood derivative products manufacturers. The company has been currently distributing 17 products of the kind in 80 countries all over the world. Octapharma owns five modern, state-of-the-art production facilities in Austria, France, Germany, Sweden and Mexico as well as highly valued R&D centres in Vienna, Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich and Stockholm. Last year Octapharma generated 256 mln EUR of operating profit. The company’s sales turnover in 2008 reached 886 million EUR compared with 752 million EUR in 2007. (PAP, Octapharma) Mokate invests in the Czech Republic The well known Polish tea and coffee producer, Mokate, acquires another Czech enterprise. The Prague-based Marila Balirny will be the 9th entity to enter the Mokate group.
Marila is an old enterprise specialising in the production of whole bean, ground and cappuccino coffee as well as in confectionery. One of the company’s flagship products i.e. the “Standard” coffee, has been determining the nation’s consumption habits since the WW II. The company has also been producing sponge cakes, wafers and gingerbread which jointly constitute 40% of the whole production. Marila owns a coffee roasting establishment and a production complex equipped with two modern production lines, warehouses and a dispatch office. Marila hires 170 employees. The acquisition of Marila testifies to the interest Mokate shows in the markets of the Central and Eastern Europe. The region constitutes an important element of the strategy the company has been realising consequently for the last several years. - said Teresa Mokrzysz, owner of the Mokate group. The group’s companies are located in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Ukraine. The group is not the only Polish company planning foreign expansion. There is a number of other well known Polish brands operating in the region through numerous subsidiary companies. As for the sector of confectionery products it is worth mentioning the Wadowice-based juice producer - Maspex which has already been distributing its products in Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. In fact, the company has been buying local enterprises in the region for the last four years. To date the group consists of 9 Polish and 10 foreign companies. Moreover, the liquid fuel industry shows clear signs of regional expansion. For instance, PKN Orlen acquired shares in the Czech Unipetrol and the Polish Petroleum and Gas Mining (PGNiG) invested almost a billion PLN in licences permitting petrol and gas deposits’ exploitation in the Norwegian Continental Shelf. There is an ever growing number of Polish companies which in their development strategies do include the whole region and not only Poland. A report published by the “Rzeczpospolita” daily indicates that last year Polish entrepreneurs invested 1.8 billion EUR i.e. 20% more than in 2007. (Mokate.com.pl, Rzeczpospolita)
MACROECONOMIC POLAND
Source: www.nbp.pl FROM THE REGIONS New business permissions in the Starachowice SEZ Logis invests in the Starachowice SEZ. The new investor will build a facility worth 12 million PLN which is bound to generate 30 workplaces. The factory will produce metal frameworks and machine components.
The new Logis facility will focus on processing metal elements and producing metal frameworks and components. According to the company’s declarations, the factory will concentrate on producing and assembling both welded frameworks (including power station’s towers) as well as serial and individual machine parts. Logis was set up in 2002. The company’s head office is located in Katowice and the production departments in Skarżysko. The new facility will focus on the production of propellers for wind power stations, engines, gas and water turbines as well as hydro cylinders and other mechanic construction elements. It is the introduction of a production line for big elements that is in line to effectively boost the producer’s position not only in the local but also in the European market of big elements’ processing. The investment will be located in the Morawica sub zone of the Starachowice SEZ. Logis declared to invest at least 12 million PLN and to hire 30 people. Last year the Starachowice-based SEZ issued 18 permits to realise businesses which are bound to jointly be worth 180 million EUR and may generate up to 719 workplaces. 2008 saw investments worth 257 million EUR realised in the SEZ. 4.5 thousand jobs were created as a result of the projects. The SEZ has already developed 63% of its overall territory. (Starachowice SEZ ) ANALYSES AND REPORTS Poland among countries resisting the crisis The third edition of “The European Growth and Jobs Monitor” published by the Lisbon Council and Allianz SE shows all the 14 biggest EU economies are affected by the global downturn. Poland classifies among countries bound to withstand the crunch.
The study, now in its third edition, looks at the EU’s 14 largest economies and measures how they perform in reaching goals derived from the so-called Lisbon Agenda. The ranking classifies countries according to six key criteria including economic growth and productivity growth in which Poland ranked 1st and 2nd respectively and was generally ranked among the six countries which are considered not to be hit by the crisis. Finland tops the ranking. The country ranked 1st in two of the six key criteria i.e. human capital and sustainable public finances. The Alllianz/Lisbon Council study ranks countries according to six key criteria i.e. economic growth, productivity growth, jobs, human capital, future-oriented investment and sustainable public finance. The Allianz Group is one of the leading global service providers in insurance, banking and asset management. The Lisbon Council is an independent, non-profit, non partisan association registered in Brussels. (www.lisboncouncil.net) Moody’s: Polish economy in good condition A report by an international rating agency Moody's Investors Service shows a bright outlook for the Polish economy.
The latest Moody’s study concerning countries in the CEE region indicates Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland as countries which are very much in line to successfully tackle crisis-connected budget difficulties. All the four countries may boast stable financial credibility ratings. According to the study it is the Baltic states that may face the greatest solvency problems. The countries, however, may count on help from outside as opposed to Ukraine which was poorly rated and is less likely to enjoy external financial support. Moody's considers the bank systems of the Central European countries not to be threatened by the global trends although Western parent companies may tend to reduce capital directed to the region. (IAR) DID YOU KNOW...? Over 10 million people visited www.krakow.pl Last year the Kraków’s website www.krakow.pl had over 10 million visitors. Only this February the website was visited by over one million people interested in the city.
The Internet website of the city of Kraków continues to rank among the most often visited municipal internet services in Poland. The website classified high in the Google Page Rank with 7 out of 10 possible points, leaving websites of other Polish cities far behind in the ranking. In February this year it was the Internet video camera section allowing the visitors to enjoy the sights of the city transmitted by the cameras that attracted the greatest number of visitors (over 100 thousand hits). The section was followed by the tourist information section (over 70 thousand hits), the section where current press releases are published (almost 55 thousand hits) and the Our City section (round 75 thousand hits). 71% of the site’s visitors entered the site in Poland and the rest was performed abroad. The record high number of visitors fell on February 20th i.e. the day of the NATO summit in Kraków when almost 65 thousand people sought information on the website. The www.krakow.pl was initiated 12 years ago. The website is divided into five major sections which offer a deep insight into the city’s tourist, investment and cultural offer. The site not only presents information on Kraków’s impressive past but also provides up-to-date news concerning current city life as well as helps the city’s residents in issues requiring administrative assistance. Moreover, the website is also geared towards the blind and sight-impaired persons offering equal access to information to all residents’ groups. In 2007 www.krakow.pl was awarded the prestigious „Złota@” prize. (www.krakow.pl) 
Editorial office: Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, 00-585 Warsaw, Bagatela Street 12 Economic Promotion Department, tel: (+48 22) 334 98 15, fax: (+48 22) 334 99 99, e-mail: redakcja@paiz.gov.pl | |||||||||||
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