Business is booming in Poland's special economic zones

Business is booming in Poland's special economic zones. Evidently, investors have decided to put their foot in the door before Poland joins the European Union, May 1. The U.S. company RR Donnelley, which already has two printing houses in Cracow's Technological Park, is seeking to increase its exports to European markets and expand its production capacity; it will print color telephone directories. In the years to come, the overall investment of RR Donnelley in Cracow may reach up to zl.100 million. In recent years, investment has totaled over zl. 200 million. RR Donnelley is the largest investor within the Cracow zone. Other major partners include Motorola, which has invested zl.50 million, and ComArch-zl.30 million. RR Donnelley opened its first printing house in Cracow in 1994. Seven years later, another house was built. The company employs over 1,000. New investors will also appear within the Suwalska Special Economic Zone. Two domestic companies in the timber business are willing to invest an estimated zl.10 million. "Our announcement on the opening of negotiations will soon be published. Investors can place their bids until the end of April," said Karol Talanis from the zone. The Łódź Special Economic Zone (ŁSSE) is likely to get two new investors as well. Häring, a German producer of components for injection pumps, is considering building a new factory in the zone. The cost of the investment will be zl.200 million. The company wants to employ 300. "We are conducting talks with the investor," said Andrzej Ośniecki, president of the ŁSSE. Häring has one factory in Piotrków Trybunalski. The Łódź Special Economic Zone (ŁSSE) is likely to get two new investors as well. Häring, a German producer of components for injection pumps, is considering building a new factory in the zone. The cost of the investment will be zl.200 million. The company wants to employ 300. "We are conducting talks with the investor," said Andrzej Ośniecki, president of the ŁSSE. Häring has one factory in Piotrków Trybunalski. Gruppo Alberico, a Spanish producer of sheet aluminum packaging, has also decided to invest in the ŁSSE. The company is planning to build a zl.150 million factory in Tomaszów Mazowiecki. It will be the company's first investment in Poland. "Partners of Bosch, for example Coco-Werk and Wirthwein, also want to invest in Łódź, as does Gillette," said Ośniecki. In his opinion, at the end of this year, total employment in the zone will total 2,500 and the value of declared investments may reach zl.1.4 billion-three times the amount of last year's investments. A new investor has also entered the Euro-Park Wisłosan Tarnobrzeg Special Economic Zone (TSSE), managed by the Industrial Development Agency (ARP). Fenix Metals (FM), part of the Danish company DAN Engineering, has opened the first tin recovery plant in Poland. The value of the project exceeds zl.9 million. FM will eventually have 80-90 employees. The company recovers tin from steelmill discards, galvanized elements and scrap electronic equipment.