LOdzkie RegiOn

LOdzkie Region
The Region
Friendly
for Investors
in the centre of poland
in the centre of europe
THE LODZKIE REGION
kutnowski
łęczycki
łowicki
zgierski
poddębicki
brzeziński
Skierniewice
skierniewicki
rawski
Łódź
zduńskowolski
pabianicki łódzki-wschodni
sieradzki
tomaszowski
łaski
Piotrków
Trybunalski
wieruszowski
bełchatowski
piotrkowski
wieluński
pajęczański
radomszczański
Marshal’s Office
of the Lodzkie Region
Investor & Exporter
Service Center
Al. Pilsudskiego 8, 90-051 Lodz, Poland
Phone: /+48 42/ 663 30 26
Fax: /+48 42/ 663 30 02
E-mail: info@lodzkie.pl
ul. Moniuszki 7/9, 90-101 Lodz, Poland
Phone: /+48 42/ 291 98 40
Fax: /+48 42/ 291 98 41
E-mail: przedsiebiorczosc@lodzkie.pl
www.lodzkie.pl
www.investin.lodzkie.pl
opoczyński
001
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to present to you one of the most dynamically
developing regions in the country – the Lodzkie Region. It
is right here that we spend EU subsidies the fastest, right
here have we recorded one of the most considerable
growths in GNP in the last few years, and it is right here
that transport has been developing the most dynamically. Lodzkie Region is not only the region you can reach
the fastest from every corner of the country, but it is also
a region, from which you can export your stocks the fastest. We have excellent road communication – two major
Polish east-west and north-south highways cross here. We
have a well-developed railway network with country’s
biggest logistics centers, which allowed us to launch the
first EU cargo railway connection with China. However,
the Middle Kingdom is not the only economic power
which wishes to access Europe through our region.
This year, we held the first Poland-Africa congress, aiming
at opening a platform for cooperation of African states
with Europe.
Where does this dynamism and innovative approach to
the economy come from? Our region supports young
people full of ideas. Over 110 thousand students are currently studying at various schools of higher education
in the region. Over 98 percent of all companies here are
micro- and small businesses. While small business strives
to persist elsewhere, in the Lodzkie Region, we support
entrepreneurs in their regular struggles. Hence we have
generated the best results in the country in terms of subsidizing grants as part of the Jeremie fund offering EU
subsidies as loans and guarantees for small companies.
The region has been consistently investing in the Science
and Technology Park, the Bio-Nano Park and a novelty
– the Art Incubator, which help future entrepreneurs, artists, third-sector organizations and innovators to enter the
market.
However, we also cater for large companies. For them,
we decided to develop the Lodz Special Economic Zone,
considered to be this country’s best.
Our region knows where it is heading. We have a Regional
Development Strategy, we have developed an Innovation
Strategy until 2030, and we have created a Brand Promotion Strategy. Lodzkie Region is a platform for creative,
bold, and go-ahead people. It is a region which emphasizes design thinking – we test in practice all that is innovative in any sphere of life.
Witold Stępień
Marshal of the Lodzkie Region
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002
introduction
The lodzkie region
Profile in 2013
Łódź
Marshal of the Lodzkie Region: Witold Stępień
Area: 18,219 sq km
Population: 2.5 million people
Population density: 140 people per sq km
Economically active: 1.6 million people
Capital of the Region: Lodz
Number of districts: 24
Number of cities with districts status:
3 (Lodz, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Skierniewice)
Number of communes: 177
Gross Regional Product (2012): ca. 22 billion EUR
Number of companies (2013): 237,000
Average monthly gross wage (2013): ca. 815 EUR
Regional budget, projected (2013)
Revenues: 854,8 million PLN
Expenditures: 895,9 million PLN
Average monthly wage (2013): ca. 830 EUR
Unemployment rate (2013): 13.9%
Exports (2012): ca. 3,8 billion EUR
Imports (2012): ca. 6 billion EUR
Natural resources: brown coal, kaolin clays, gypsum,
limestone, marl, gravel, clay, thermal waters, quartz
and foundry sands, travertine
Number of students: 110,000
Number of higher education institutions: 27,
including 21 private
Selected higher education institutions:
• the Lodz University,
• the Technical University of Lodz,
• the Medical University,
• National Higher School of Film, Tv and Theatre
in Lodz
• Academy of Fine Arts
• Academy of Music
• the School of Arts and Design in Lodz
Major towns and cities: Belchatow, Kutno, Pabianice, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Radomsko, Sieradz, Skierniewice,
Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Wielun, Zdunska Wola oraz Zgierz.
Special Economic Zone: Lodz Special Economic
Zone (1,277 ha) and its subzones in the municipalities of Aleksandrow Lodzki, Brojce, Kleszczow,
Koluszki, Ksawerow, Opoczno, Paradyz, Slawno
Strykow, Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Ujazd, Widawa,
Wielun, Wola Krzysztoporska, Wolborz, Wroblew,
Zychlin and in cities Belchatow, Konstantynow
Lodzki, Kutno, Leczyca, Lowicz, Lodz, Ozorkow,
Piotrkow Trybunalski, Radomsko, Rawa Mazowiecka, Sieradz, Skierniewice, Tomaszow Mazowiecki,
Zdunska Wola, Zgierz.
Industrial and Technological Parks:
• The Belchatow and Kleszczow Park of Industry
and Technology,
• The Kutno Park of Agriculture and Industry,
• The Lodz Regional Park of Science and Technology,
• The Boruta-Zgierz Park of Industry.
International Airport: the Wladysław Reymont Airport in Lodz
Selected international investors: ABB, AIG Lincoln, Amcor, BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte,
BSN Gervais Danone, Coco Kunststoffwerk, Corning
Cable System, DELL, Business Support Solutions,
Citi Handlowy, ECE Projektmanagement, Euroglas,
Fuji Seal Group, Fujitsu, Foxconn, GE Power Controls, Gillette Poland International Ltd., Hutchinson,
IKEA, Icopal, Indesit, LG Group, Mercedes, Merloni
Elektrodomestic, Metro AG, Nibco, Nordea, SaintGobain, Philips, Procter & Gamble, SouthWestern
introduction
BPO, Steijn Design, Süd Wolle, Tate & Lyle, Toyota
Boshoku, Veka.
Investors by country: Austria, China, Denmark,
Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden,
Ukraine, UK, USA.
Regional partnerships (by country): Austria (Styria), Belarus (Vitebsk Oblast), The Czech Republic (South Moravia), France (Le Nord), Spain (Murcia), Russia (Leningrad Oblast), Sweden (Orebro),
Ukraine (Chernivtsi, Odessa, Vinnytsia and Volhynia
Oblasts), Hungary (Csongrad), UK (West Midlands),
Italy (Piedmont).
Established in 1919, the Lodzkie Region (Lodzkie
Voivodship) is located in the centre of Poland and Europe alike, and boasts a long tradition of textile and
clothing industry. Currently, the voivodship’s capital
and the third largest Poland’s city, Lodz, is rapidly
expanding its other branches of industry, inclu
ding household appliances production and biotechnology.
It should be added, too, that it was thanks to
foreign investment that Europe’s largest industrial
cluster producing household appliances was developed in the region. Production of ceramic tiles and
packaging have the leading position in Poland in
terms of quality and quantity.
Agriculture has been growing in significance, too,
including organic farming, and agricultural and food
processing which was included in the long-term innovation strategy for the region.
In April 2013, the Regional Innovation Strategy for
the Lodzkie Region LORIS 2030 has identified leading branches that have the greatest potential for
further long-term economic development of the
region. These are:
• modern textiles and fashion (including design);
• advanced building materials;
• medicine, pharmacy, cosmetics;
• energy, including renewable energy sources;
• innovative agriculture and food processing;
• information technology and telecommunications.
003
With 42 towns and cities inhabited by 65% of
the region’s population, the Lodzkie Region is also
proud of its high urbanisation rate.
The voivodship’s major economic area is the Lodz
Metropolitan Area, which comprises counties of
Brzeziny, Lask, Lodz Wschodnia, Pabianice, Zdunska
Wola, Zgierz and Lodz.
Region’s prime assets:
• the region’s location is convenient for transport:
placed right at the junction of two motorways
A1 & A2 – corridors, North-South, and East-West,
which facilitates access to both EU markets and
those of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
• with numerous institutions of higher and professional education turning out highly trained
prospective employees, the region offers qualified and committed workforce.
• the region’s major city, Lodz, boasts well-developed industrial infrastructure.
• with its rich deposits of lignite, the region is Poland’s second (after Silesia) largest energy producer, and boasts a surplus of affordable energy.
• universities and research centres in Lodz are
among Poland’s major players in terms of research and development.
• geothermal resources provide the great opportunity to produce renewable energy and develop spas (the Thermal Spa UNIEJOW is a kind of
good practice of inter regional cooperation with
Austrian partners).
• the voivodship government’s proactive economic policy aims to develop administration
which is friendly for small and medium businesses, and encourages to create attractive employment conditions.
• lucrative investment offers for investors in 44
subzones of the Lodz Special Economic Zone,
which has already attracted more than 230 companies, including Dell, Procter & Gamble, Fujitsu
Services, Gillette, Bosch-Siemens, Indesit.
• effective and resourceful business partners.
Apart from big businesses, the area boasts
numerous small and medium businesses that
specialise in industrial processing, and various
crafts and services. Hence each investor is spoilt
for choice when it comes to the region’s innovative suppliers and business partners.
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004
THE REGION
History, location
and administrative structure
Established by the decision of the Sejm (legislative parliament) on 2nd August 1919, the Lodzkie
Region merged the provinces of Kalisz and Piotrkow
of the Polish Kingdom into one administrative unit.
The first voivodship in history with Lodz as its capital
covered the area of 19,034 sq km.
Following several consecutive administrative changes in 1938, 1950 and 1975, the region’s final territory to
date was decided on in 1999, with a view to strengthening the historic administrative and cultural ties between Lodz and the towns in its vicinity.
Established in 2002, the region’s coat of arms is
complex in structure, similarly to the voivodship’s
territory which comprises a variety of historic lands,
such as Leczyca, Sieradz, Rawa, Sandomierz (Opoczno
district) lands. The voivodship’s coat of arms is thus
composed of the coats of arms of some of these
lands, including the hybrids of Leczyca and Sieradz
respectively, and the eagle of Rawa. Due to the fact
that Lodz was a primary driving force in the establishing of the region, the above-mentioned coats
of arms are placed on the escutcheon of Or, Gules,
and Or, which represent the tinctures from the coat
of arms and banner of the voivodship’s capital, Lodz.
The Lodzkie Region lies on the Lodz Upland and
in the valleys of the Warta and Pilica Rivers, and
borders on the Voivodships of Greater Poland,
Kuyavia and Pomerania, Mazovia, Kielce, Silesia and
Opole. The voivodship also boasts the geometrical
centre of Poland, located in Piatek, in the district
of Leczyca.
The largest administrative division in Poland is the
region, voivodship – wojewodztwo – essentially the
Polish version of a province. There are 16 regions
in total, ranging in size from 9,412 sq km (Opolskie)
to 35,558 sq km (Mazowieckie). These are further
subdivided into 314 powiats (powiaty), or “districts,
counties”, including 65 cities with powiat status.
The smallest administrative division is the gmina, or
“community, municipality”, of which there are 2,479.
The list with all districts of the Lodzkie Region,
their area, population and website is below.
Districts in the Lodzkie Region
Districts
Area (sq km)
Population (in thousands)
Website www
971
358
886
618
774
987
858
1.039
489
804
1.429
881
1.443
647
1.491
756
1.026
926
577
369
855
113
32
101
50
52
81
67
78
119
53
90
41
116
48
119
37
119
77
42
70
166
powiat-belchatowski.pl
powiat-brzeziny.eu
kutno.pl
lask.com.pl
leczycki.pl
powiat.lowicz.pl
lodzkiwschodni.pl
opocznopowiat.pl
powiat.pabianice.pl
powiatpajeczno.pl
powiat-piotrkowski.pl
poddebicki.pl
radomszczanski.pl
powiatrawski.pl
powiat-sieradz.pl
powiat-skierniewice.pl
powiat-tomaszowski.pl
powiat.wielun.pl
powiat-wieruszowski.pl
powiatzdunskowolski.pl
powiat.zgierz.pl
294
68
33
737
77
49
lodz.pl
piotrkow.pl
skierniewice.net.pl
Belchatow
Brzeziny
Kutno
Lask
Leczyca
Lowicz
Lodz Wschodni
Opoczno
Pabianice
Pajeczno
Piotrkow
Poddebice
Radomsko
Rawa
Sieradz
Skierniewice
Tomaszow
Wielun
Wieruszow
Zdunska Wola
Zgierz
Cities with District status:
Lodz
Piotrkow Trybunalski
Skierniewice
Based on: M. Kudła, own work according to the data provided by the GUS (Central Statistical Office) and individual counties.
THE REGION
005
The Region’s Capital
The history of Lodz, which is now the region’s
capital, dates back to the 15th century, when it was
granted a city charter in 1423. For centuries Lodz
had been a minor country town.
It was not until 200 years ago that industrialists
from all over Europe were attracted to Lodz, and
subsequently created a major centre of textile
industry. Within two generations an insignificant
country town of 800 residents (according to data
from 1820) had become Poland’s second largest
conurbation with the population on 477 thousand residents (according to data prior to the First
World War)
Catering to different industries and covering
a variety of topics, approximately 40 trade fairs and
exhibitions are held in Lodz every year,. The fairs
are organised by six specialist companies, including
Miedzynarodowe Targi Lodzkie Sp. z o. o. [Lodz International Fair] (www.ckw-mtl.pl). While these companies have the joint capacity of around 11 thousand
square metres of indoor exhibition space, the city’s
hotels can provide more than 3 thousand accommodation places for visitors.
One of the most important agricultural and exhibition fair in Poland takes place every year in May in Bratoszewice (Targi Rolne Agrotechnika w Bratoszewicach).
The Centre od Lodz
After many detrimental structural transformations that took place in the 1980s and 1990s, today’s
Lodz is becoming a leading academic hub as well
as a thriving economic centre. The region’s capital
of culture and arts, Lodz is now also a place where
new technologies are being developed, and financial institutions are based.
The city boasts a number of convenient communications, including several train stations and one
of the largest container train station in Central Europe, Lodz Olechow having direct connection with
Chengdu in west China in the Sichuan Province.
The Wladyslaw Reymont Airport is merely six
kilometres away from the city centre, caters for medium-sized planes, and offers both passenger and
freight air connections with destinations both in
Poland and abroad (www.lotnisko.lodz.pl).
Property prices in Lodz and in the region are relatively lower when compared with other Polish conurbations, such as Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw, Poznan,
or Gdansk, and the city also has lower labour costs
by 20%. The latter has been duly noticed by international corporations, including ABB, Bosch, Dell, GE,
Gillette, IKEA, Philips, Siemens, Toyota Boshoku and
other companies that decided to set up their manufacturing and distribution branches and logistic centres in Lodz and its vicinity. Logistic is concentrated
near Strykow (20 km from Lodz) where there is the
main junction of trans European motorway West-East
-North-South – corridors known as A1 and A2 (Berlin
-Warsaw-Moscow and Scandinavia-Gdansk-WarsawVienna-the Adriatic See).
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THE REGION
University of Lodz
Department of Law and Administration
There are other big logistic centres in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Kutno and
Zgierz. Majority of those centres belong to well
known multinationals such as Kaufland, Raben,
IKEA, KERAKOLL, Graveleau, Casino, LEK.
In May 2013 the total cumulated value of foreign
investment in the area exceeded the level of 3 billion EUR owning to such new, additional investment such as ABB, Clariant (Colex), Gillette, Indesit,
Nordea bank, Toyota Boshoku, Ericpol, Super-Drob
S.A. (Convenience Food), Sponcel, Thermica.
to the city’s unique and unmistakeable atmosphere.
It should also be added that the heyday of Lodz coincided with that of Art Nouveau architecture.
A large number of Art Nouveau buildings and
their accomplished style sealed the decision to
accept Lodz as a member of Reseau Art Nouveau
Network in 2006. It should be mentioned, too, that
Lodz owes its distinctive character to the local Art
Nouveau industrial facilities and factory floors,
which may also be considered the city’s greatest
tourist attractions.
Lodz abounds in green and leafy areas where you
can relax, go for a stroll, and do sports and leisure
activities. While the city’s parks, around 30 of the
them in total, cover the area of more than 650 hectares, the 1,250-hectare Las Lagiewnicki (Lagiewnicki Forest) proves to be one of the largest urban
forest complex in Poland.
More then 230 firms have set up their branches in
Lodz Special Economic Zone and its several subzones,
which act as a magnet for investment. Complying
with the ISO 9001:2008 Certificate, the zone offers
substantial corporate tax (CIT) exemptions accounted, since middle 2014, 35% for large companies, 45
% medium firms and 55 % for small firms. The zone
offers also support in the process of winning state
subsidies for particular types of investment (www.
sse.lodz.pl).
Despite its industrial character, Lodz can offer wellpreserved Art Nouveau urban complexes which add
It should also be mentioned that the Henryk
Dobrzanski Lodz Horse Riding Trail (Lodzki Szlak
Konny im. majora Henryka Dobrzanskiego „Hubala”) stretches for 2,100 km, and is composed of
two trails winding around the conurbation and
across the entire voivodship. The longest horse
riding trail in Europe, it connects 7 landscape
parks and 200 horse riding centres, 21 pasture areas, and numerous leisure centres and sights, the
latter including the Nieborow Museum, the Cistercian Abbey in Sulejow, and Walewice Palace.
The main tourist information point is to be found
in Lodz on Wycieczkowa Street. The Lodz Horse
Riding Trail is also accessible to bikers and disabled persons (www.wsiodle.lodzkie.pl).
characteristic
007
Economy, High opportunity sectors
and their assets
The economy of the region is industrial and agricultural in character. The most important areas of
industry are energy, food processing and beverages
as well as medical equipment, clothing and textiles,
pharmaceuticals and manufacturing of household
appliances. Nearly 70 per cent of the domestic production of ceramic tiles and terracotta is manufactured in the voivodship.
While nearly one-thirds of all the companies
in the region specialise in trade, around 16%
of the companies produce industry goods, and
yet another 10% deal in real-estate. These three
groups make up more than 63% of all the registered
companies in the region. A number of other industries are to be found in the region, too. These in turn
specialise in (in order of importance): construction
Belchatow
Brown Coal Mine
The Belchatow power plant has the biggest in Europe fuel and energy complex, producing electricity
from brown coal. Other multibillion investments shall
further increase the output of this power complex.
The Lodzkie Region is home to approximately
230 thousand firms, mainly small and mediumsized companies, which are potential contractors
and business partners, e. g. as subcontractors, for
foreign enterprise interested in investment and
trading cooperation.
More than 97% of these businesses are privateowned. The number of trading companies with foreign capital tops ca. 1,800. The state-owned sector in
turn has 3% of the share in the voivodship’s economy.
Structurally speaking, small enterprise prevails
in all of the 24 of the voivodship’s districts (powiats). Many such firms act as subcontractors
producing spare parts and modules for large operators, including the producers of household
appliances.
and transport, foodstuffs, furniture, metal, tanning,
pharmaceutics (generic and herbal medicines), and
sanitary ware, bricks and tiles.
The region’s further economic development will
rely on the following sectors, known as “high opportunity sectors”. Those sectors are as follows: energy
(including renewable energy) modern textiles and
fashion (including design), medicine, pharmacy, cosmetics, innovative agriculture and food processing,
advanced building materials, information technology
and telecommunications.
In these sectors domestic and foreign investors
may be guaranteed high return on investment,
including both own capital and the state-budget
support, such as subsidies, corporate income tax
exemptions for companies, and other applicable
tax exemptions e.g. real estate tax.
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characteristic
Power industry
Power industry in the region provides ca 20% of
Poland’s energy annually, and is commonly associated with the Piotrkow-Belchatow Industrial District, which is home to the Belchatow Lignite Mine
and Belchatow Power Plant.
The environmentally friendly policies are aiming to extend the share of the renewable sources
of energy in Poland’s and the voivodship’s energy
balance. The following assets of the region may
have an impact on the decisions concerning larger
investment and the future utilisation of “clean energy resources”:
• excellent location right in the centre of Poland,
providing easy connection to any region in the
country;
• unique natural conditions, especially beneficial
for the development of renewable sources of
energy;
• location providing favourable conditions
for wind energy development;
• agricultural character of the region, which
guarantees the availability of land for the construction of wind farms;
• geothermal resources, estimated to be equivalent of 10,837 million tonnes of coal (1/3 of
Poland’s resources);
• high capacity for plant biomass production
(straw, energy crops);
• undeveloped agricultural land that can be used
for the potential cultivation of energy crops;
• significant opportunities for the agricultural production and use of biogas for energy
purposes and the production of biogas from
wastewater treatment plants and landfills
(biogas power plant by City Wastewater Treatment in Tymienice near Zdunska Wola is one
of best examples in this matter).
Textile and clothing industry
Geared towards the production of high quality
and unique clothing, overcoats and outer garments,
cotton, wool and synthetic fabrics, hosiery, towels,
velvet, and underwear, this traditional industry has
recently seized yet another opportunity to develop
and match the international competition. This has
happened largely due to its existing potential, including:
• high-tech textile sector (Pro Humano Tex)
• highly qualified staff with ample experience
and professional expertise
• strong scientific and academic base, including
the following universities, institutes
and research centres
The Technical University of Lodz
– The Faculty of Textile Engineering and Marketing, well known in Europe for its achievements in the field of academic research
University of Lodz
The Academy of Fine Art
The Textile Research Institute
characteristic
The Institute of Biopolymers and Chemical
Fibres
The MORATEX Institute of Security Technologies
The
Centre for Textile Machine Research
and Development at the Institute of Machine
Design and Operation
The
Central Institute for Labour Protection
in Lodz
The Institute of Dyes and Organic Products
in Zgierz
The
Leather Industry Institute
The
Cluster for the Advanced Technologies in
the Textile and Clothing Industry, which houses
the Polish Technological Platform for Textile
Industry.
Major textile and clothing producers
in the region:
CORIN, Kris Line, HEXELINE, PAWO, KASTOR,
REDAN, MODESTA, KAN – TATUUM, TELIMENA S.A.,
ADRIAN, GRUPA FERAX: such brands as Gatta,
Zenit, Wola (Zdunska Wola), ALLES Alicja Wojciechowska, Roza, MONNARI, Fabryka Wyrobow Frotowych i Kocowych ZWOLTEX WLOKNINA [Towels
and Blankets Production Plant], ZTK Teofilow, POLCONFEX, MAGAM Sp. z o. o., LENORA, WELTOM,
OPTEX S.A., COATS POLSKA Sp. z o. o., WI-MA S.A.,
ARELAN Sp. z o. o., DYWILAN S.A., FARBOLOUX
Bilinski Zaklad Wlokienniczy [Textile Plant], DRAGO
Sp. z o. o., Fako S.A., WEBERTEX Sp. z o. o., OLIMPIA
S.A., Z.P.J. ORTAL S.A., MISTRAL-ELAST, ELMATEX,
Z.P.P. Lenora Sp. z o. o., P.P.U. LENTA Pasmanteria
Sp. z o. o., Alexia (d. VERA Sp. z o. o.), P.U.H Chemikolor S.A.
Modern building materials
This sector is particularly well developed in the
Lodzkie Region. More than half of the national production of ceramics and building materials (ceramic
tiles, floor tiles, cement and construction adhesives,
glass) comes from related and recognized in Poland
and Europe manufacturers such as: Atlas, Group
Paradyz Opoczno Ltd., Tubadzin, Euroglas, CER-ART,
CER-ROL and Nova-Ceramica.
In Dzialoszyn, in southern part of the Lodzkie
Region, near Cement Warta Plant Plc, mined travertine, which is one of the renowned construction
materials.
009
Medicine, pharmacy
and cosmetics
These sectors are increasingly using new technologies such as biotechnology. Thanks to living organisms are involved to develop new products or processes. Biotechnology is one of the fastest growing
disciplines of engineering in the region successfully
used in medicine, pharmacy and cosmetics. These
sectors are also increasingly using nanotechnology
which enables the miniaturization of e. g. some medical devices.
Lodz hosts the International Fair for Biotechnology
and Biobusiness, also known as the Bio-Forum, which is
the largest event of its kind in Central and Eastern
Europe.
The largest in the Lodzkie Region company Pelion
S.A. is working in the medical and pharmaceutical
industries. Other pharmaceutical companies such as
Polfa Kutno, Polfa Pabianice Polfa Lodz are highly
appreciated both at home and abroad. The Medana
Pharma S.A. of Sieradz is a recognized manufacturer
of both pharmaceutical and cosmetic treatment of
the highest quality.
The region has great potential for scientific research, especially in the field of biological, medical
and chemical sciences, and an extensive medical
and academic base, including the Medical University, the Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital-Research
Institute, and the Institute of Occupational Medicine
or the Lodz Science and Technology Park known as
BioNanoPark.
These centres carry out research and development
projects, which make a very good foundation for the
development of biotechnology industry and nanotechnology sectors in the region.
The voivodship boasts an impressive number of
students and graduates in Biotechnology, Molecular
Biology, Microbiology and Chemistry educated at the
city’s three largest universities, the Technical University of Lodz, the Medical University of Lodz, and Lodz
University.
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characteristic
The region’s major biotechnology companies:
1. Bio-Tech Consulting LLC Lodz
2. Mabion INC. Kutno
3. Proteon Pharmaceuticals LLC Lodz
4. Celther Poland LLC Lodz
5. BTL Sp. z o. o. Lodz
6. IFOTAM Co. LLC Lodz
7. Pharmena INC. Lodz
Agriculture and food processing
Even though agricultural land accounts for more than
48% of the region’s area, agriculture hardly plays a significant role in its economy, with the share in the gross regional product creation hovering just above 5%. The voivodship’s main crops are: wheat, rye, sug ar beets and potatoes.
Chernozem (black soil rich in humus) in the northern counties (powiats) of Kutno, Lowicz and Leczyca
allows horticulture and market gardening to thrive.
This in turn constitutes the basis for food processing,
vegetable and meat canneries, and the production
of concentrates, juices and beverages. This type of
processing is also thriving in the county (powiat) of
Skierniewice, where it is effectively supported by the
famous Research Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice, founded by Professor Stefan A. Pieniazek (www.
inhort.pl).
The real leader of horseradish cultivation in Poland
are communities Kielczyglow, Siemkowice, Osjakow
and Rusiec providing about 70% of the national production of this vegetable.
A number of agriculture producers’ groups operate
in the voivodship, thus providing high-quality organic
food, without artificial preservatives or food colouring.
A case in point are Organizacja Producentow Owocow RAJPOL (RAJPOL Fruit Producers Organization),
Zrzeszenie Plantatorow Owocow i Warzyw w Lowiczu
(Association of Fruit and Vegetable Growers in Lowicz), Malus Sp. z o.o. (Ltd), Kwiaty Polskie Grupa Producentow Sp. z o. o (Kwiaty Polskie Producers Group
Ltd), Zrzeszenie Plantatorow Owocow i Warzyw w Lowiczu (Association of Fruit and Vegetable Growers in
Lowicz), Elit, Sadex, Aplet, and Aura.
The region’s major agriculture and food
processing companies:
1 Zaklad Produkcji Spozywczej Krzetle [Krzetle Food
Production Plant], Osjakow
2. KAD-ROL Marek Stepien
3. Transarr Sp. z o. o. Lodz
4. ALMAR – Zakład Przetworstwa Owocow i Warzyw
[ALMAR Fruit and Vegetable Production Plant]
5. FH Ceres Sp. z o. o.
6. Firma Braci Urbanek J.A.W. Urbanek sp. J. [Urbanek
Brothers Company] Lowicz
7. Fructos – Klimczak i Kijanka Sp. j. [Fructos – Klimczak
and Kijanka, General Partnership] Dzialoszyn
8. Fruitpol Gospodarstwo Rolno-Ogrodnicze [Fruitpol Agri- and Horticultural Farm]
9. Lodzki Rynek Hurtowy Zjazdowa S. A. [Zjazdowa
Lodz Wholesale Market, Joint-Stock Company]
10. Fructodor Sp. z o. o. Bolimow
11. PPHU Rolfoods, Glowno
12. Ptasinscy Glinik Susze Warzywne [Ptasinscy Glinik
Dried Vegetables]
13. Spoldzielnia Ogrodniczo-Pszczelarska [Gardening
and Apiculture Cooperative], Kutno
14. PPHU E. Kapusta, Bedlno
15. Spoldzielnia Ogrodniczo-Pszczelarska „Pszczolka”
[Pszczolka Gardening and Apiculture Cooperative],
Lowicz
16. Ybbstaler Fruit Polska Sp. z o. o., Biała Rawska
17. ZPS Romir Mirosław Kwasniewski
18. Mar-Pol s. c. Piotr Marczak i Tadeusz Marczak,
[Mar-Pol Civil Law Partnership], Biala Rawska
19. PPHU Marines, Cieladz
20. PPHU Kazimierz Wasilewski, Cieladz
21. Pomiar s. c. Mim Kowalscy, [Pomiar Civil Law
Partnership], Marzecice
22. Medal Palatynski, Działoszyn
23. Simpol Zaklad Przetworstwa Owocow i Warzyw
Zdunek, [Simpol Fruit and Vegetable Processing
Plant], Siemkowice
24. ZPHU Moryn s. j. [Civil Law Partnership], Siemkowice
25. Victus Zaklad Przetworstwa Owocow i Warzyw
[Victus Fruit and Vegetable Processing Plant],
Dzialoszyn
26. WaldiBen Zaklad Przetworstwa Owocow
i Warzyw [Waldiben Fruit and Vegetable
Processing Plant], Dzialoszyn
27. Klimex Firma Produkcyjno Handlowa [Klimex
Trading and Production Company], Siemkowice
28. RADOSZ sp. j. Nowak, Pawliccy, Siemkowice
29. Frukta Napoje Sp. z o. o. [Ltd]
30. Agros Nova, Lowicz (brands such as Fortuna
and Lowicz)
characteristic
011
31. Hortex Holding S.A. [Joint-Stock Company],
Skierniewice
32. Raz na Wozie, Buczek
33. Wiatrowy Sad, Dmosin
34.Regional Dairy Cooperative in Lowicz
35. Regional Dairy Cooperative Wart-Milk in Sieradz
36.Regional Dairy Cooperative in Radomsko
Mechatronics
Well represented in the region, mechatronics is
a combination of mechanical, electrical and computer
engineering, automation and robotics, and is used in
designing and manufacturing modern equipment.
With 10 vocational schools and colleges which offer education in mechatronics, the Lodzkie Region has
a large number of experienced professionals in this
field of engineering. It supports the development
of some leading sectors in the region e. g. energy.
The Lodz Centre for Teacher Development and Practical Training is Poland’s first and one of the best centres
that provide training in mechatronics. The Technical
University of Lodz has the Institute of Mechatronics and
Information Systems, operating within the Faculty of
Electrical, Electronic, Computer and Control Engineering. Students who major in this area of study are taught
how to creatively use the elements of technical knowledge, artificial intelligence and computer engineering,
which will be most useful to solve practical tasks in the
design and implementation of mechatronic systems.
The region’s major companies with mechatronic
divisions:
1. ABB Sp. z o. o. Lodz
2. Bosch and Siemens lodz
3. Indesit Lodz
4. Gillette Lodz
5. Dell Lodz
6. Philips Lighting Poland Pabianice
7. RR Donnelley Lodz
8. Flextronics Logistics Poland Sp. z o. o. Lodz
9. Alu Rehab Poland Sp. z o. o. Ozorkow
10. Amcor Rentsch Sp. z o. o. Lodz
Information and communications
technology (ICT) sector
Aimed at creating favourable conditions for the development of the region’s media industry, a variety of
initiatives are undertaken in the voivodship, including
helping artists and entrepreneurs in the execution
of their media projects (film, TV, theatre, the Internet)
and making full use of the potential of the local economy and the scientific power base provided by the
Lodz Film School and other regional centres for education and research and development. The special
role in the process of supporting and developing new
media is to be played by the Leon Schiller National
Higher School of Film, Television and Theatre in Lodz,
one of the most popular film schools in the world
(www.filmschool.lodz.pl).
Providing comprehensive technical infrastructure
and modern facilities for artists, the Toya Sound Studios offer a modern film, sound and live performance
complex. Unique and innovative, the complex proves
to be the only facility of its kind in Poland and one of
the few in the whole of Europe.
The region’s major ICT companies:
1. Ericpol Telekom Sp. z o. o. Lodz
2. ZETO S. A. Lodz
3. Herkules PC Components s. j. Lodz
4. Poltronics Sp. z o. o. Lodz
5. AMG.net S.A. Lodz
6. Lucky Star Polska Sp. z o. o. Lodz
7. Laser S. A. Lodz
8. Biurosystem Serwis Sp. z o. o. Lodz
9. SOCO s. j. Lodz
10. Cade Expert Sp. z o. o. Lodz
11. NT Group Sp. z o. o. Lodz
12. Toya Telekomunikacja Sp. z o. o. Lodz
13. Arisco Sp. z o. o. Lodz
14. NT Group, Lodz
15. Apexim-Lodz S. A.
16. Inwar & Biuro System S. A.
17. INVAR Consulting Sp. z o. o.
18. Telekomunikacja Zwiazku Gmin Ziemi Wielunskiej S.A. [Wielun Land Communes’ Telecommunications]
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012
characteristic
Academic teaching and research
Lodz is one of Poland’s major academic hubs and
centres of research and development. Between ten
and twenty higher education institutions, academic
units and research centres provide young people with
the great opportunity to acquire professional qualifications, and also create perfect conditions for academic
teachers and researchers to follow their careers.
The city is home to 27 higher education institutions
which have approximately 110 thousand students.
Lodz is home to 6 state-owned higher education
institutions (The Strzeminski Academy of Art, Grazyna
and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music, Leon Schiller
National Higher School of Film, Television and Theatre,
Technical University, Medical University, and the largest
of all, Lodz University) and 21 private-owned higher education institutions, which also have branches in some
of the region’s other towns and cities, including Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Skierniewice,
Radomsko, Belchatow, Sieradz, Kutno, and Wielun.
The centres of research and development also
add to the academic and scientific potential of the
region. The most prominent centres include: the
Centre of Molecular Research of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Institute of Occupational Medicine, the Moratex Institute of Textile Engineering and the European Institute of Lodz.
Lodz is both Poland’s leading and internationally
renowned research centre in the field of chemistry,
physics and polymer technology, the knowledge of
which is used in the manufacturing of plastics and
synthetic fibres.
Lodz is also home to a number of cultural institutions, such as the Alliance Francaise, British Council, Centre for Eastern Studies, Centre for German
Studies, Centre for European Studies, and a wealth
of foreign language schools where you can obtain
internationally recognised certificates.
In mid-2013, the British International School received a new location in Lodz, ul. Pomorska 161. The
School is under the auspices of the University of Lodz
and the Lodz Special Economic Zone. It educates children of foreign entrepreneurs and investors staying
on business in our region (www.interschool.uni.
lodz.pl).
The city’s academic potential proves to be a significant factor conducive to establishing academic cooperation and exchange between the Lodzkie Region and other regions in Poland and elsewhere.
University of Lodz
Department of Management
characteristic
013
Arts and culture
The Lodzkie Region is an important point on the
cultural map of Poland and Europe. The city’s Museum of Art boasts an internationally recognised modern art collection, which includes works of European
avant-garde artists of the late 20th century, and a collection of works presenting trends in art after World
War II. The latter can be matched by only few such
collections in Europe, and includes works by Marc
Chagall, Max Ernst, Paul Klee, Fernand Leger, Jankel
Adler, Kurt Schwitters, Joseph Beuys, Stanisław Ignacy
Witkiewicz, Jerzy Nowosielski, Tadeusz Brzozowski,
Katarzyna Kobro, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Wladyslaw Strzeminski, and Henryk Starzewski. The museum
is housed in a historic, Neo-Renaissance palace built to
resemble the Library of St. Mark’s in Venice. In the past
the palace belonged to the family of Izrael Poznanski,
the most prominent factory owner in Lodz at the turn
of the 19th and 20th centuries (http://msl.org.pl).
Housed in a historic 19th-century factory, the Central Museum of Textiles offers a unique collection of
textile art, the largest such both in Poland and worldwide. For many years the museum has organised the
International Triennial of Tapestry, an event highly regarded by the artists and specialists in the field. (www.
muzeumwlokiennictwa.pl/triennale)
The opera and ballet ensembles of the Grand Theatre in Lodz are well known for high levels of their artistic performance. The theatre’s established position in
Europe also secures guest performances by the worldfamous opera soloists (www.operalodz.com).
binstein was born and grew up in Lodz) has recently
relocated to a new building in the city centre, and now
offers two modern concert halls with excellent acoustics (www.filharmonia.lodz.pl).
The following artistic schools have also contributed to the rich cultural life of the region: the
Strzeminski Academy of Art, Grazyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music, and Leon Schiller National Higher School of Film, Television and
Theatre. The latter is well known worldwide, and
has educated such prominent artists as Andrzej
Wajda, Wojciech Jerzy Has, Jerzy Skolimowski, Krzysztof Zanussi, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Roman Polanski,
Witold Sobocinski, and many others.
Since 1994, the Leon Schiller National Higher School
of Film, Television and Theatre has organised the annual International Film and TV Schools’ Festival Mediaschool, which confronts artistic achievements of
young filmmakers from 30 different countries (www.
filmschool.lodz.pl).
Culture is a vital element of the local identity,
too. The Lodzkie Region brings together a number
of long and diverse traditions of the sub-regions of
Sieradz, Leczyca, Lowicz, or Opoczno. The traditions
of folk are carried on in Leczyca, Sieradz and Rawa,
where a number of folk groups and bands, or singing and ritual associations exist and present authentic folklore on many occasions. Particularly active
in this respect is the Lowicz area with its numerous and diverse array of folk groups and ensembles
(www.lowickie.eu).
Around 200 folk artists interested in sculpture,
embroidery, flower arranging, cuttings, straw ornaments and painting remain active in the region.
Some of the handicraft products have been made
available in Cepelia shops both in Poland and abroad
(www.cepelia.pl).
The city’s theatres offer a varied repertoire, including plays by eminent, contemporary authors and all
time theatrical classics. The most prominent of these
theatres is the award-winning Stefan Jaracz Theatre
(www.teatr-jaracza.lodz.pl).
Representing nearly a century of tradition, the Arthur
Rubinstein Lodz Philharmonic Orchestra (Arthur Ru-
The local cultural centres offer education activities
devoted to folk art, which allows young people to
continue the regional traditions of their parents and
grandparents.
To conclude, it can be said that the Lodzkie Region
remains a unique and valuable area, a point not to be
missed on the cultural map of Poland.
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014
the future of the region
Development strategy
for 2007–2020
In order to meet the current challenges in the management of the region, the voivodship’s authorities
have developed “The Strategy for the Development
of the Lodzkie Region in 2007–2020”. The main objectives of this strategy are to improve the competitiveness of the region and the living conditions of its
inhabitants, and ensure that the region is becoming
more attractive for investment, and that new jobs
are being created. In order to meet these ambitious
objectives, a long-term, systematic and coordinated
action has been implemented across the region. By
obtaining a strong position in the regional structure,
its residents will acquire better living conditions, and
will enjoy better quality of their lives.
The investors will in turn find attractive areas and
favourable conditions for investment and day-today running of their businesses.
The region’s general level of civilisation will also
improve, and the standard of living will reach the
level similar to that of the rest of Europe. This in turn
will ensure balanced and sustainable development,
based on modern, competitive economy. Making
the most of its central location at the crossroads of
European transport corridors, the region will integrate with the rest of Europe socially and economically, and become the Central European leader
of development.
The mission formulated creates opportunities
for further development of the region in the next
programming period, cohesion policy 2014-2020
and the new funding rules (www.lodzkie.pl / Lodz
Region Development Strategy 2020). In the new EU
budget period for the years 2014-2020 the Lodzkie
Region is expected to receive about 2,2 billion euros for the implementation of the Regional Operational Programme as part of the above-mentioned
strategy. EU funds will be used, among others, in
terms of energy, environmental protection, sustainable transport and a comprehensive revitalization.
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the future of the region
015
Loans and guarantees for companies:
subsidies from the JEREMIE Programme
Present in the Lodzkie Region since March 2011,
the JEREMIE (Joint European Resources for Micro to Medium Enterprises Programme) provides
small and medium-sized businesses with portfolio
guarantees and low interest loans. The support thus
provided is coordinated and supervised by the Entrepreneur Service Centre. This unit is accountable
to the Marshal’s Office of the Lodzkie Region, and
distributes money from the European Regional Development Fund allocated for the years 2007-2013.
The resources are meant to stimulate economic
development and innovation, and are distributed
repeatedly. This means that, having accounted for
one loan, entrepreneurs may apply for another. The
JEREMIE programme is earmarked to operate in
the future, according to the principles stipulated by
the EU budget for the period 2014-2020.
As far as the EU funds for 2007-2013 are concerned, the Lodzkie Region has allocated circa 189
million PLN from these resources for preferential
loans and guarantees.
Most commonly, these loans are used by trading
companies (both retail and wholesale) and those
dealing in industrial processing.
Loans and guarantees may help secure investment capital and make it available to small and medium-sized businesses which have limited access to
bank loans, usually start-ups with no credit history
or assets of suitable value. These resources may be
used to purchase machinery and equipment, or
computer hardware and software, and also for construction or investment in real estate.
Loans (financial product known as an overall loan):
• Lodzka Agencja Rozwoju Regionalnego [Lodz Regional Development Agency] (www.larr.lodz.pl);
• Stowarzyszenie Ostrowskie Centrum Wspierania Przedsiebiorczosci [Ostrow Enterprise
Support Centre] (www.ocwp.org.pl);
• Fundacja Rozwoju Gminy Zelow [Zelów Development Foundation] (www.frgz.pl);
• PA-CO-BANK (www.pacobank.pl);
• Koneckie Stowarzyszenie Wspierania Przedsiebiorczosci [Konskie Enterprise Support Centre]
(www.kswp.org.pl);
• Polska Fundacja Przedsiebiorczosci [Polish
Entrepreneurs Foundation] (www.pfp.com.pl).
Guarantees (financial product known
as a portfolio guarantee):
• ESBANK Bank Spoldzielczy (www.esbank.pl);
• FM Bank (www.fmbank.pl).
Contact:
Entrepreneur Service Centre
ul. Moniuszki 7/9, 90-101 Lodz
Landline: (42) 230 15 50
www.cop.lodzkie.pl
in the centre of poland
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Road connections
Since time immemorial, Lodz and its vicinity has
been a place where European travel and transport
routes intersected.
Currently, the biggest motorway junction of A1
and A2 at the very heart of the region (near Strykow,
20 km from Lodz), which makes it a highly favourable location for investment, since it lies within
easy reach of both domestic and foreign markets.
The junction belongs to the trans European corridor West-East and North-South connecting e. g.
Berlin-Warsaw-Moscow and Scandinavia-GdanskWarsaw-Vienna and the Adriatic See.
Part of the European concept of space integration, two major Trans European Networks (TEN)
transport corridors run through the region, namely
Corridor 2 (Berlin-Warsaw-Moscow) and Corridor 6
(Scandinavia-Balkans).
• A2 Motorway / National Road No. 2 (E30)
East-West (Berlin-Poznan-Warsaw-Moscow);
• S8 Expressway / National Road No.14 (E67)
South West-North East (Wroclaw-Warsaw);
• S14 Expressway (western section of the ring
road of Lodz, which is in turn composed of
the intersecting A1, A2, S8 and S14 motorways
and expressways, and lies within the radius of
approximately 20-30 km from the city centre).
Distance to selected cities in Europe:
• Lodz-Berlin – 473 km
• Lodz-Prague – 485 km
• Lodz-Dresden – 476 km
• Lodz-Munich – 680 km
• Lodz-Vienna – 626 km
• Lodz-Lviv – 470 km
• Lodz-Moscow – 1.200 km
• Lodz-Stockholm – 941 km
• Lodz-Oslo – 1.640 km.
OSLO
The region also boasts a dense network of local, regional, national and international roads, including
• A1 Motorway / National Road No. 1 (E75)
North -South (Gdansk-Katowice);
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017
Air connections
The Wladyslaw Reymont Airport
in Lodz
The Wladyslaw Reymont Airport (IATA: LCJ) is an
international airport located only 6 km away from
the city centre and has been working since 1925. By
the end of 1950’s, it had been one of Poland’s most
prominent transportation hubs.
2012 the airport handled over 400 000 passengers.
The airport is able to handle up to 2 million passengers per year thanks to new, modern terminal
building which has been opened in 2013. The airport offers regular flights to Copenhagen, Dublin,
East Midlands, London Stansted, Liverpool, Bristol
and Edinburgh. Scandinavian Airlines fly from Lodz
to Copenhagen Airport, the main European and intercontinental hub which gives a number of transfer options to other destinations. All on one ticket.
The airport also handles charter flights to Bulgaria,
Egypt, Greece, Tunisia and Turkey. It also supports
private charter flights, which are attracting more
and more investors. Flights of this type are often
used by the music industry, too.
www.airport.lodz.pl/en
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018
region
rail connections
Several major railway routes run across the region,
including:
• E20 Warsaw-Kutno-Poznan
• The Central Railway Main Line (CMK) connecting Warsaw with Silesia and Krakow
• The Coal Trunk Line connecting Karsznice,
Zdunska Wola, Inowroclaw and Gdynia.
Lodz is an important railway junction providing
links to Warsaw, Wroclaw, Poznan and Lublin.
The outskirts of the city are home to one of Poland’s largest container freight stations, Lodz-Olechow. The future of Lodz is also closely related to
intermodal railway transport, which will also utilize
the Lodz-Olechow container terminal. 2013 the international railway container line started to serve
the route between Lodz (Poland) – Odessa (Ukraine)
– Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Chengdu in West China,
Sichuan Province. The trip of 40 containers will take
ca. 2 weeks.
The railway junction in Koluszki connects Lodz
with Warsaw, Lublin, Katowice and Krakow.
The old railway lines, such as Warsaw-Vienna and
Kaliska, are now more of historical than practical
significance.
Minor railway hubs in the region are Skierniewice,
Lowicz, Tomaszow Mazowiecki, and Chorzew-Siemkowice.
It should also be noted that the rail lines run
through 70% of all the counties (powiat) towns in
the voivodship.
The strategic task for the local government is to
include Lodz in the network of lines with improved
parameters of velocity, especially the line connecting Warsaw-Lodz and Wroclaw.
019
region
Human resources
The age structure of the population in the Lodzkie Region proves advantageous in terms of human resources available to employers (investors)
who wish to take on new workers. With 2.5 million
of the region’s inhabitants in 2012, nearly 17.3% of
them belonged to the pre-working age population,
64% constituted the working-age population, and
18.7% were retired. These proportions are illustrated in the chart below.
18,70
19
The age structure
of the population in
the Lodzkie Region in 2011
[%]
Based on:
17,30
17
Pre-working
%
Working
M. Kudła, own work according to the data
provided by the GUS branch in Warsaw
(Central Statistical Office)
Retired
64
64
The Lodzkie Region offers qualified academic
staff, and is a large base for scientific research.
Every year, the Technical University of Lodz turns
out approximately 4,000 graduates in the Faculties
of Mechanical Engineering; Electrical, Electronic,
Computer and Control Engineering; Chemistry; Biotechnology and Food Sciences; Civil Engineering,
Architecture and Environmental Engineering; Technical Physics, Computer Science and Applied Mathematics; Material Technologies and Textile Design.
The University of Lodz in turn supplies the labour
market with about 6,000 graduates every year in
the Faculties of Biology and Environmental Protection, Economics and Sociology, Philology, Philosophy and History, Physics and Chemistry, Mathematics and Computer Science, Geographical Sciences,
Educational Sciences, Law and Administration, and
Management.
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region
currenT investors
A large number of renowned European and international corporations have already invested their
capital in the region. So far foreign direct investment has almost topped the figure of 3 billion EUR,
thereby creating about 25 thousand jobs in newly
established companies and service centres.
The investment to date has been made
in the following sectors:
Business process outsourcing
(financial, accounting
and research services)
• Centrum Finansowo-Ksiegowe Infosys [Infosys
Finance and Accounting Centre]
• Call Center mBanku i MultiBanku [mBank’s and
MultiBank’s Call Centres]
• GE Power controls – accounting centre
• Bank Unicredito – programming centre
• Centralwings – Head Office, Biuro
• Accenture – IT centre
• CitiFinancial – finance centre
• BSH – R&D centre
• Transition Technologies – IT Centre
• SAP-IT Centre.
• Hewlett-Packard Global Service Centre Lodz
Household goods and appliances
• Merloni (brands: Indesit & Ariston)
• BSH Sprzet Gospodarstwa Domowego
Sp. z. o. o. [BSH Household Goods
and Appliances Ltd]
• Coko-Werk – washing machine porthole
glass doors
• Wirthwein – plastic components
• Hirsh-Porozell – packaging
• HSV – packaging
• Cablex – cables and wires
• Rettl – cables and control panels
• Cebal Tuba Sp. z o. o.
• Industrial Systems Sp. z o. o.
(GE Power Controls)
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DSWI Sp. z o. o.
E.G.O. Polska Sp. z o. o.
KAMPMANN Polska Sp. z o. o.
Mar-Mit s. c.
Ciat Sp. z o. o.
Mecalit Polska Sp. z o. o.
Mesgo Polska Sp. z o. o.
Asco Joucomatic Sp. z o. o.
Sew Eurodrive Polska Sp. z o. o.
TV AB Sp. z o. o.
Teka Polska Sp. z o. o.
Logistics
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AIG Lincoln
Rossmann
Therab BV – Raben Holding
Clement
DHL Global Supply Chain
DHL EXEL
DHL EXPRESS
LOGIS
IKEA
Masterlink
Oninen
Cassino
Unilever
Pelion S.A. (former Polska Grupa Farmaceutyczna)
Polska Grupa Farmaceutyczna
Diamond Business Park
Ahold
Poland Central – NOMI
Gillette
GEFCO
Schenker
Kaufand
Diamond Business Park, Lodz
Diamond Business Park, Strykow
Logistic City
Panattoni Park Lodz
Parkridge Distribution Centre
Pro Logis Park
Hatrans LOGISTICS Lodz
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Support for investors
and entrepreneurs
A number of specialized units supporting domestic
and foreign investors operate in the region, including
• The Regional Investor and Exporter Service
Centre of the Marshal’s Office of the Lodzkie
Region (RCOIE)
• The Lodz Special Economic Zone
• The Lodz Regional Development Agency
• The Lodz Regional Park of Science and Technology
• The Investors’ Service Office at the City Council
of Lodz
• The Belchatow and Kleszczow Park of Industry
and Technology
• The Kutno Park of Agriculture and Industry.
The Regional Investors’
and Exporters’ Service Centre
at the Office of the Marshal
of the Lodzkie Region
The Regional Investors’ and Exporters’ Service
Center, also knows as the COIE (after its Polish
acronym), acts as an official partner of the Ministry
of Economy (www.coie.gov.pl) and the Polish
Information and Foreign Investment Agency (Polish acronym: PAIiIZ, www.paiz.gov.pl) is a partner for investors and Polish exporters in the Lodzkie Region. The centre supports businesses willing to invest in the region and the companies
from the voivodship that are interested in exporting their goods to foreign markets. The centre
supports entrepreneurs by providing relevant
know-how to those who wish to set up a company or extend the range of their operations
in the region. The centre maintains secrecy when
providing with useful knowledge or advice, e.g.
on the location of the future business, and acts as
a go-between to help establish contacts with local
councils, business partners, and economic organisations and associations. The agency’s support and advice is free of charge.
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and requirements (location, infrastructure,
logistics, workforce etc.)
collecting data necessary to prepare a feasibility study (statistics, potential buyers and suppliers, legal framework, tax liabilities)
organising study visits for foreign investors to
examine selected communes (gminas) or districts (powiats), including transport, meetings
and translation services
assisting in negotiations concerning selected
locations for investment, assistance in preparing incentive packages
identifying potential foreign buyers for the
exporters operating in the voivodship.
All information provided by the COIE during the preparation of the investment project is confidential. At the
request of the investor, the scope and content of this information may be stipulated by a suitable agreement.
www.coie.gov.pl
The Lodz Special Economic Zone
The assets of Lodz Special Economic Zone include
the excellent location in the very centre of Poland,
considerable tax relief, rich industrial traditions, and
customised service for investment projects.
The COIE provides comprehensive support and
counselling, ranging from introductory presentations of investment offers of individual communes
(gminas) and districts (powiats) to the implementation of fully-fledged investment projects. The centre provides the following forms of support:
Businesses that wish to start operations in the
Lodz Special Economic Zone may take advantage
of attractive, fully serviced investment areas. The
companies that set up their branches in the zone
enjoy significant tax relief, such as corporate income
tax exemptions or alternatively are provided with
two-year subsidies to cover salary costs of newly
employed workers. Owing to these advantages
and the comprehensive services for investors, Lodz
Special Economic Zone has attracted a number of
important business partners, including such recognised brands as Dell, Procter & Gamble, Fujitsu
Services, Gillette, Bosch-Siemens, Indesit, Amcor,
Atlas, and Ceramika Paradyz. Lodz Special Economic Zone consists of ca. 40 sub-zones, located in the
towns and municipalities (gminas) across the entire
Lodzkie Region, and also in the adjacent voivodships of Greater Poland and Mazovia. In total, these
sub-zones occupy the area of 1,277 hectares.
• securing the best location for investment
according to the investor’s needs
In 2013 the Lodz Special Economic Zone took 3rd.
place in Europe and 18th. in the world ranking of
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region
FDI Magazine (Financial Times) Global Free Zones
of the Future 2012/2013.
Furthermore, the Lodz Special Economic Zone
offers modern office spaces for outsourcing and IT
businesses. Located in the city centre, these A Class
facilities have been completed to a high standard,
and provide a worker-friendly environment necessary for successful business operations.
Businesses operating in the Lodz Special Economic
Zone benefit from public support, which is meant to
• encourage new investment; and
• create new jobs.
Public support is provided as full corporate income
tax exemption enjoyed by the investor, until the entire
amount of money allocated to this type of assistance is
used (by 2026 at the latest). The level of public support
depends on the size of the company and qualified investment costs, and from 1st. July 2014 amounts to:
• 35% for Large businesses
• 45% for Medium-sized businesses
• 55% for Small businesses.
Definition of SME (Small and Medium-sized
Enterprise)
Small enterprises are defined as enterprises which
employ fewer than 50 persons and whose annual
turnover or annual balance sheet total does not
exceed 10 million euro.
Medium-sized enterprises are defined as enterprises which are not Small and employ fewer than
250 persons and whose annual turnover does not
exceed 50 million euro or annual balance sheet
does not exceed 43 million euro.
Large enterprises are those which are neither Small
nor Medium-sized.
Eligible costs of investment are:
• expenditure on purchase of land;
• spending on structures and buildings;
• expenditure on fixed assets (equipment installation);
• expenditure on purchase of intangible and
legal assets;
• expenditure on the rental or leasing of land,
buildings and structures.
The lease period must last at least 5 years; in the case
of small and medium-sized businesses it must be 3
years from the anticipated date of the investment completion.
Eligible costs for the creation of new jobs equal
two-year gross employment costs (labour costs
plus all mandatory employment-related benefits of
the employees).
Basic requirements to be met by the businesses operating in the Lodz Special Economic Zone:
• minimum investment of 100 thousand EUR
• activity for a minimum period of 5 years (3
years for small and medium businesses)
• maintaining a steady level of employment for 5
years (3 years for small and medium businesses)
• conducting activities for which authorization
was granted; and
• tax exemptions granted for investments in the
special economic zone.
www.sse.lodz.pl
The Lodz Regional
Development Agency Plc
The most important investments in the region are
completed with considerable support on the part of
the Lodz Regional Development Agency (ŁARR S.A.).
As an individual expert unit, the agency stimulates
regional entrepreneurship by means of widely understood counselling. The agency operates as the Regional Financing Institution for the Lodzkie Region, works
as a partner of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, and contributes in the implementation of
the Innovative Economy Operational Programme.
The agency also helps entrepreneurs and investors to adjust to the requirements of market economy by offering the following forms of assistance:
• preparing and implementing projects for funding from the European Union
• obtaining authorization to operate in Lodz
Special Economic Zone
• raising funds from the Regional Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management
• organizing foreign economic missions for the
local companies
• joint displays and participation of the companies during international fairs and exhibitions.
www.larr.lodz.pl
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The Lodz Regional Park
of Science and Technology Ltd
The Lodz Regional Park of Science and Technology (known as the Technopark) is certainly the
“right place” for both the start-ups specialising in
advanced technologies and the already thriving
businesses. While the latter’s established market
position may serve as an example of market success
for those who take their first steps as entrepreneurs,
the park itself creates ideal conditions for the development of the local economy based on knowledge
as a necessary link between science and business.
Technopark occupies an area of 14 hectares of serviced land located in close proximity to the Wladyslaw
Reymont Airport, right at the exit of the planned S8
expressway, only 6 km away from the city centre of
Lodz. The site is divided into 22 investment plots for
companies that can either buy or lease them in order
to run their business operations.
Technopark is home to the Technology Incubator,
which offers advice and guidance to new and innovative businesses. These companies may use the Incubator’s attractively priced assistance for 2 years, and
take advantage of its modern offices, Internet access,
free-of-charge legal, marketing and public relations
assistance as well as the assistance in seeking external funding, completing grant applications, or writing
business plans. The incubator also has a multimedia
conference room for 120 people.
2013 the existing facilities at Technopark are already extended, and new offices, laboratories,
conference rooms and catering facilities are ready
to serve companies and researchers. The project’s
highlight is the BioNanoPark business research centre and its two state-of-the-art laboratories (Laboratory of Molecular and Nanostructured Biophysics and the Industrial Biotechnology Laboratory).
These laboratories are ready to house research and
development projects on new generic medicines,
therapeutic measures, individual medical implants,
new biological and biotechnology products for the
chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food, energy
and environmental protection industries.
www.technopark.lodz.pl
The Investors’ Service Office
at the City Council of Lodz
The Investors’ Service Office implements the strategy
for the industrial cluster development in Lodz, which
is based on the project “Lodz Cluster as the Region’s
Network for Innovative Cooperation”. The tasks of the
office include:
• attracting investors from priority sectors
(business processes outsourcing, household
goods and appliances, logistics, biotechnology,
pharmaceutics, and research and development
centres);
• organizational support for investors at each and
every stage of their projects, including both
preparing the project and follow-up during its
implementation and after its completion;
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• design and preparation of the city’s investment
offers, with particular emphasis on the priority
sectors mentioned above;
• preparing individual presentations concerning
the city and catering to the needs of selected
investors;
• building and maintaining business relationships
with investors and other public institutions in
Lodz and in Poland, including the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, Lodz Special
Economic Zone, the Marshal’s Office of the Lodzkie Region, the Office of the Voivode of Lodz, and
adjacent municipalities (gminas);
• presenting the city’s investment offers at various
trade fairs and exhibitions;
• recommending actions to create favourable conditions for investment in the city.
www.lodz.pl
This mission is accomplished by creating offers that
live up to investors’ expectations, and create a business-friendly atmosphere in the area.
The park also offers areas for investment and office space
for rent (the latter is possible thanks to the Technology Incubator), and provides such services as sulphocarbonitriding
or applying protective coatings to medical implants.
The Park’s offer for entrepreneurs includes the possibility to purchase or lease available areas or facilities.
It also allows for using infrastructure, professional support services and technology transfer, and provides
help in raising funds, such as the European Union
structural funds. The shareholders of the Park are:
• Belchatow Municipality;
• Kleszczow Development Foundation;
• Gmina Kluki (the Kluki municipality);
• PGE Lignite Mine S.A.;
• PGE Belchatow Power Plant S.A.;
• The Technical University of Lodz;
• Gmina Rzasnia (the Rzasnia municipality);
• Belchatow county (powiat)
www.ppt.belchatow.pl
The Kutno Park of Agriculture
and Industry
The Belchatow and Kleszczow Park
of Industry and Technology Ltd
The Belchatow and Kleszczow Park of Industry
and Technology plays a vital role in activating the
economy of the county (powiat) of Belchatow. Set
in a specially allotted area, the park uses local infrastructure and offers preferential terms to those who
wish to embark on business activity, especially if the
company they are going to set up is either small and
medium-sized.
The park’s mission is to break the one-sided nature
of Belchatow’s industry, contribute to the region’s
economic growth, reduce unemployment by creating
and developing high tech industry, and stimulate innovation and widely understood enterprise.
Established in 1998, the Kutno Park of Agriculture
and Industry is located in the vicinity of the E-30 international road and the E-20 rail line. At a distance of
about 1.5 km away from the park, there is the A-1 motorway. The Park is serviced by a power and heating
plant, water treatment plant, and municipal wastewater treatment plant.
In the park’s vicinity, there is the Container Terminal
at the E-20 main railway line. In addition to this, the
area’s two landline telephone operators provide instant access to a fibre network. A fully serviced 30-hectare area, the park belongs to Lodz Special Economic
Zone, Subzone Kutno. Investors who wish to set up
a business there will be able to take advantage
of many tax reliefs and exemptions. The most important of them are:
• Corporate income tax exemption of up to 70%
of capital investment or alternatively labour costs;
• the assistance of the Labour Office in recruiting
and training new employees;
• property tax relief granted by the local government.
www.um.kutno.pl
Usefull Phones
Marshal’s Office of the Lodzkie Region
Al. Piłsudskiego 8, 90-051 Lodz, Poland
www.lodzkie.pl
Marshal’s Front Office
Phone: /+48 42/ 663 30 26, /+48 42/ 663 30 01
Fax: /+48 42/ 663 30 02
E-mail: info@lodzkie.pl
Marshal’s Office of the Lodzkie Region
Department of Entrepreneurship
Mr Janusz Baranowski, Head of the Department
ul. Moniuszki 7/9, 90-101 Lodz, Poland
Phone: /+48 42/ 291 98 40
Fax: /+48 42/ 291 98 41
E-mail: przedsiebiorczosc@lodzkie.pl
Russian speaker
www.lodzkie.pl
Marshal’s Office of the Lodzkie Region
Department of Entrepreneurship
Investors’ and Exporters’ Service Centre (COIE)
ul. Moniuszki 7/9, 90-101 Lodz, Poland
Phone: /+48 42/ 291 98 40
Fax: /+48 42/ 291 98 41
E-mail: przedsiebiorczosc@lodzkie.pl
Ms Izabela Kozlowska, Chief Specialist
Phone: /+48 42/ 291 98 49
Fax: /+48 42/ 291 98 41
E-mail: izabela.kozlowska@lodzkie.pl
English speaker
Ms Joanna Niedzwiecka, Chief Specialist
Phone: /+48 42/ 291 98 51
Fax: /+48 42/ 291 98 41
E-mail: joanna.niedzwiecka@lodzkie.pl
English speaker
dr Marek Kudla, Chief Specialist
Phone: /+48 42/ 291 98 50
Fax: /+48 42/ 291 98 41
E-mail: marek.kudla@lodzkie.pl
German, English, Italian and Bulgarian speaker
Lodz Special Economic Zone
ul. Ks. Tymienieckiego 22/24, 90-349 Lodz, Poland
Phone: /+48 42/ 676 27 53
Fax: /+48 42/ 676 27 55
E-mail: info@sse.lodz.pl
www.sse.lodz.pl/en
Lodz Regional Development Agency
ul. Tuwima 22/26, 90-002 Lodz, Poland
Phone: /+48 42/ 664 30 40
Fax: /+48 42/ 664 37 50
E-mail: kontakt@larr.lodz.pl
www.larr.lodz.pl
Lodz Regional Park of Science and Technology
ul. Dubois 114/116, 93-465 Lodz, Poland
Phone: /+48 42/ 684 44 44
Fax: /+48 42/ 684 50 00
E-mail: biuro@technopark.lodz.pl
www.technopark.lodz.pl
Lodz Chamber of Commerce and Industry
ul. Tuwima 30, 90-002 Lodz, Poland
Phone: /+48 42/ 250 54 50
Phone: /+48 42/ 250 54 51
Fax: /+48 42/ 630 39 79
E-mail: biuro@izba.lodz.pl
www.liph.com.pl/ger.php
Regional Tourist Organisation
of the Lodzkie Region
ul. Sienkiewicza 67, 90-009 Lodz, Poland
Phone: /+48 42/ 638 59 57, 663 77 33
Fax: /+48 42/ 662 09 72
E-mail: biuro@rotwl.pl
www.rotwl.pl
Entrepreneur Service Centre
ul. Moniuszki 7/9, 90-101 Lodz, Poland
Phone: /+48 42/ 230 15 50
www.cop.lodzkie.pl
Regional Chamber of Commerce Lodz
ul. Wieckowskiego 13, 90-721 Lodz, Poland
Phone/Fax: /+48 42/ 203 66 82
E-mail: sekretariatrig@gmail.com
Regional Office of the Lodz Region in Brussels
Referat ds. Współpracy Międzyregionalnej
Square Marie-Louise 2
1000 Brussels
Phone: +32 2 230 90 77
Fax: +32 2 231 15 87
British International School
of the University of Lodz
ul. Pomorska 161
90-273 LODZ
Mobile: +48 504 262 731
E-mail: interschool@interschool.uni.lodz.pl
www.interschool.uni.lodz.pl
Conceived and written by:
dr Marek Kudla
Photography:
Marcin Bryja [p. 17]
Józef Horbik [p. 13]
Mariusz Kucharczyk [p. 5, 9, 12]
Grzegorz Nowak [p. 13]
and the archives of the Marshall’s Office
of The Lodzkie Region
in the centre of poland
in the centre of europe
in the centre of poland
in the centre of europe