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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, In this week’s edition you may find information on the latest Eurostat data according to which the growth in Polish GDP for the 1st Q 2008 reached 6.4%. We also reveal details about the French Air Liquide which is about to build two oxygen generation plants in Poland and give details on the Wałbrzych SEZ which has now even more ready to invest land due to a considerable enlargement. Moreover, an interesting piece of information on the last six months in Polish SEZs where a record number of 99 business activity permits had been issued and 11 thousand jobs to be created as a result. Pleasant reading! PAIiIZ’s editorial team NEWS Poland - the 29th economy in the world Poland ranked among the most dynamically developing countries in the world - a report prepared by experts from the Foundation Globalization Institute informs. Poland classified 29th on the list of the 50 fastest developing countries in the world, in terms of economic growth.
On devising the report the authors took into account a variety of vital economic indicators e.g. GDP growth, GDP value per person, unemployment rate, inflation, national debt, foreign trade turnover and the value of FDI. The data that served as a basis for the report refers to the year 2007 and was taken from official and easily available sources e.g. the World Bank, OECD, CIA or IMF. Three of the 5 top countries of the list are located in the Asian continent. Hong Kong tops the list and is immediately followed by China, Holland, the United States and Singapore. From among the new EU member states Poland was only preceded by the Czech Republic (24th position). Interestingly, economies such as India or Brazil, characterised by a huge economic capability as well as many countries of the CEE region, among others Slovakia, Ukraine and Hungary, came after Poland in the ranking. It is the dynamic GDP growth, falling unemployment rates, steadily increasing trade turnover and FDI inflow that the Polish economy may boast about, the experts from the Foundation Globalization Institute claim. Not only has Poland been experiencing faster economic development when compared to West European countries but the country has not been manifesting signs of economic overheating, a phenomenon that affected Hungary and can currently be observed in China. (Foundation Globalization Institute) Go to top...
INVESTMENTS IN POLAND
Air Liquide to construct new oxygen generating plants in Poland The French concern Air Liquide, a key producer of industrial and medical gases, has just signed a new long-term contract with Zakłady Azotowe Pulawy S.A. (ZA Puławy) concerning the supply of industrial gases. The company’s further plans include also construction of a new liquefaction unit in Gdańsk.
Air Liquide will build and operate two large Air Separation Units (ASUs) for ZA Puławy on lots leased by the Polish producer. It is estimated that the ASUs daily production will reach over 1,200 tonnes. Moreover, the units are destined to produce liquid oxygen, nitrogen and argon to supply merchant gases to a variety of neighbouring industries. The oxygen generating plant is to be erected and operating within the Puławy sub-zone which forms part of a Special Economic Zone in Starachowice created in October 2007. The process of issuing investment permits is in progress. The opening of the first unit is scheduled for the beginning of 2010. - I am pleased to have made the decision to select Air Liquide for ZA Puławy’s first long term strategic partnership for the supply of industrial gases - said Paweł Jarczewski CEO of ZA Puławy. - The new ASUs are an important part of ZA Puławy’s strategy and a key stage in expanding our “Oxygen - Ammonia - Urea” production line. Air Liquide is uniquely positioned to provide the most cost effective solution for our needs, and we are confident that its technological leadership will benefit us over the long term. Moreover, Air Liquide will make another important investment with a new liquefaction unit in northern Poland. This new Air Separation Unit, to be built near Gdansk, is expected to have a production capability of 200 tonnes of liquid nitrogen and oxygen a day. This facility will also start operating in 2010. Guy Salzgeber, Vice-President of European Industrial Operations and member of the Group’s Executive Committee declared - These investments in Poland allow us to support our customers’ growing demand in this dynamic area. They are part of the 10 billion EUR investment program for the period 2007-2011 that the Group is implementing and they represent an important milestone to accelerate our growth in Central and Eastern Europe. Air Liquide is active in Poland since 1995. The company hires 200 and co-operates with over 1200 receivers of its products. The Air Liquide products are used in a wide variety of ways e.g. for carbonation of beverages, modified atmosphere packing (MAP), medical oxygen used in hospitals, production of ultra pure gases for semiconductors sector and desulphurization of petroleum products. (Air Liquide/ ZA Puławy) The city of Katowice attracts the automotive industry Only in the 1st Q 2008 six business activity permits for foreign investors were issued in the Katowice Special Economic Zone. Interestingly, four out of the six permits concerned the automotive sector. The investments are estimated to cost 350 million PLN and result in 730 new workplaces in the SEZ by the end of 2012.
The Japanese NGK Ceramics Polska has been operating within the SEZ since 2005. This year’s permission regards further development of the Gliwice-based factory which specialises in manufacturing ceramic filters for stable particles in diesel engines. The estimated level of investment expenses is to reach 101 million PLN and a consequent increase in employment may account for 200 new jobs.
Similar plans, in terms of employment volume, have two Korean investors from the automotive industry, planning to employ 200 people each. Shinschang Poland who also chose Gliwice, obtained the required permits this year in February and has plans for its factory to be completed by the end of 2010 with en estimated cost of the investment nearing 27 million PLN. The other Korean company - YuShin Precision Poland - won a tender and is about to construct a plant in Siemianowice Śląskie. The company intends to produce, among other things, elements for brake systems destined above all for the Czech and Slovak market where such key car producers as Hyundai and KIA operate. The last from the automotive oriented investors - Formpol - comes from Canada and declared to invest 72 million PLN in Tychy and create 20 workplaces. In turn, the German Schoeck and Italian Ferroli Poland are investors interested in Tychy and Sosonowiec respectively. The German company operates in the construction industry and is to produce in the Tychy sub-zone, among others, elements for heat-insulation and acoustic mufflers. The investment cost is estimated at 1.2 million PLN. Ferroli Poland obtained the permit in April this year. The Italian company has been constructing a plant worth 103 million PLN in Sosnowiec. Production of aluminium heaters is scheduled to commence by the end of the year and over 100 people are expected to find work in the factory. (KSEZ) Further foreign investments in the Łódź SEZ On July 11, Marek Cieślicki, President of the Łódź SEZ, will hand out eight new permits for business activity in the zone. Jointly new investments are to cost over 600 million PLN and create 780 news jobs.
The cost of the new investments is to jointly account for over 600 million PLN and around 780 new workplaces are expected to be created. Investors, five of them from abroad and three Polish companies, are interested in data communications, BPO, construction and electric sectors. For the Dutch ABB and French Amcor Flexibles Reflex the future investments are by no means a debut in the Łódź sub-zone as they are already active there. The Radomsko sub-zone is to host an Italian Padav, Frigo Logistic from Japan and Aquila Radomsko owned by a Belgian group business VPK. While Trasko Konstrukcje, a Polish company producing steel constructions, chose Ostaszów, ATM - a Polish data communication company - opted for Warszawa-Kompleks Grochowska sub-zone, which is located in the Warsaw district of Praga Południe. Marek Cieślak, President of the Łódź SEZ will hand out permits allowing business activity to Janusz Petrykowski, a representative of the investors and President of ABB Poland, a subsidiary of the Dutch ABB concern, in the presence of Jolanta Chełmińska, the voivod of Łódź. (ŁSEZ) MACROECONOMIC POLAND
Source: www.nbp.pl FROM THE REGIONS Now bigger Wałbrzych SEZ
The Wałbrzych Special Economic Zone (WSEZ) has been enlarged by 110 ha and now measures in total 1,5 thousand ha.
The WSEZ enlargement took place at the end of June and affected five sub-zones of the SEZ. Results of the change can most notably be seen in the Skarbimierz sub-zone (located in the Opole voivodship) as the area of the sub-zone is now twice as big as before and reaches 131 ha. Besides, the enlargement included the Wrocław and the Nowa Ruda sub-zones, which gained 14 ha and 4 ha respectively. The Wałbrzych sub-zone underwent only a tiny adjustment of 0,5 ha. After the changes and in terms if area, the Wrocław sub-zone is second large in the WSEZ, with 189 ha, only after the Wałbrzych zone which has currently 192 ha at its disposal. In the process of the WSEZ enlargement a new sub-zone in Kościan (the Wielkopolska voivodship) was created. This is the 28th sub-zone now operative in the WSEZ. (Tygodnik Wałbrzyski) ANALYSES AND REPORTS FDI on the increase in Poland in 2008 Poland and Romania result to be the only two new EU member states to witness increase in FDI inflow this year - states a report prepared by the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies.
The report suggests that after several-year increase in FDI inflow to the region, the tendency may begin to ease off. In fact, only Poland, Romania, Macedonia and Albania may count, according to the Institute’s forecasts, on the increase in FDI inflow. The authors of the report analysed statistics concerning 20 countries of the region, taking into account both the new EU member states and also Balkan countries and the former Soviet Union countries. For the second time in a row Russia topped the list with FDI inflow estimated at over 38 million EUR. Poland classified second on the list with near 13 million EUR in FDI. Ukraine and Romania followed in the 3rd and 4th position respectively, both with slightly over 7 million EUR. The first 5 top was closed by the Czech Republic with over 6.5 million EUR. Recent turbulence in financial markets worldwide had a negative influence, above all, on indebted countries and countries characterised by high budget deficit e.g. Latvia, Hungary and Bulgaria. The authors of the report claim that at the moment it is the difficulty in obtaining a credit for a planed investment that poses the greatest challenge for the investors. However, in the face of the ever stronger Euro, European manufacturers may be forced to seek cheaper locations for their new investments in order to stay competitive in terms of prices. What, in turn, may contribute to the new EU member states lasting attractiveness for export oriented investments. Established in 1973 the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies conducts analyses and prepares economic development forecasts in the countries of Central, East and Southeast Europe. (Wiener Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsvergleiche) DID YOU KNOW...? Mazovia - the first Polish satellite Poland is to launch its first ever artificial satellite - “Newsweek Polska” informs. The time required for the project development, construction and placing of the satellite on the orbit is estimated at around four years.
The basic satellite’s parameters have already been settled. Mazovia, as such is the satellite’s name, is to weight around 200kg and is destined to be placed at the height of near 700km above the North Pole. As Mazovia’s primary goal will consist in photographic documentation of the area subjected to scrutiny, the unit will be equipped with a state-of-the-art, high definition photo camera. The satellite is thought to be active for around 5 or 6 years. According to Dr Marek Banaszkiewicz, Head of the Space Research Centre at the The Polish Academy of Sciences, the Polish satellite is to meet the very same quality standards as similar units from France and Germany. The quality of photos taken by the Mazovia will allow recognizing subject as small as 2 m by 2 m. The project has been developed in cooperation with the Ministry of National Defence which is to finance the undertaking in the frame of a 10-year strategy for armed forces development. Official disclosure of the strategy’s key points will take place in September this year. However, Mazovia is not only envisaged for military purposes. The satellite’s photos may as well be used by the voivodshisp management in case of a natural disaster or when devising a spatial development plan. The estimated construction costs hover at around 20 million EUR what, according to the scientists, is by no means an exorbitant price for this kind of a unit. In fact, similar units on offer in foreign centres may even reach double the price. The project’s authors hope that the satellite will yield a more-than-satisfactory payoff. Moreover, Mr Banaszkiewicz emphasises that the documented experience in the Mazovia-related research will enable Polish engineers to apply for contracts within European space programmes which may even be worth 60 million EUR e.g. Galileo or Gmes. (Newsweek Poland)  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 98, e-mail: redakcja@paiz.gov.pl | |||||||||||||
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