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As assessed by Krzysztof Krystowski, Deputy President of the Board of Leonardo Helicopters, the company which owns PZL-Świdnik, the Polish army and defence industry should undergo simultaneous modernisation. The participation of domestic entities in the army equipment tenders announced by the Ministry of National Defence (MON) is a huge opportunity. Given the scale and complexity of such contracts, their implementation will be based on strict cooperation between various Polish companies, with the potential cooperation between PZL-Świdnik and Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (Polish Armaments Group) in building a combat helicopter being an accurate example.

High energy costs, heating and air conditioning charges are tangible problems for both enterprises and local governments. They often lack funds for investments to increase the energy efficiency of the buildings they use. An alternative solution is investments based on the ESCO formula, where the whole cost and risk are incurred by the company implementing the project. In Poland the value of the market is estimated at EUR 27 m and is constantly growing, as increasingly more emphasis is placed on the significance of energy efficiency for the development of the economy and the competitiveness of enterprises.

The total production of windows and doors in Polish facilities grew in 2017 by nearly 6 percent and reached 23.4 m. Over the last four years the number of windows and doors produced in Polish factories has increased by 24 percent, the data from Centrum Analiz Branżowych (CAB, a Polish construction market research agency) indicates. Experts predict that next year the market will grow by about 5 percent with the increase in exports reaching 9-10 percent. The growth in the windows joinery industry is mainly due to exports, in which the highest share, 25 percent, is held by Grupa VELUX. Last year’s results reflect the good situation in the whole sector and are a good sign for 2018.

Automation might have a good effect on the level of wages and salaries in the Polish economy. It may also solve the problem of labour shortages which impede the development of businesses. An industrial robot costs from several hundred thousand to million zlotys, but it is an investment with a short payback time – it pays back as quickly as within a year or two, thus increasing efficiency and giving the business a competitive edge. This, in turn, results in lower costs and extra revenues. In Poland, industrial robots are used primarily in the automotive, chemical and steel industries.

“The upgrade capabilities of military helicopters which have been in service since the 1960s are quite limited and we need a technological leap,” said Gen. Piotr Patalong, former commander of Special Forces. As part of a procedure carried out by the Ministry of National Defence, eight helicopters intended for anti-submarine warfare and sea search and rescue operations will be delivered to the Navy. Today, this function is performed by well-worn post-Soviet Mi-14 helicopters. New machines are necessary to ensure the military and civil security on the Baltic.

Poland has been the European leader in window exports for three years. DOVISTA Polska, which belongs to the same capital group as the roof window producer VELUX, has just finished an expansion project, which is going to boost its position as a producer and exporter. The company invested PLN 22 m in the new 11,000 sq. m distribution centre. This project will help the company increase its production by 10-15 percent this year and create 100 new jobs. The factory in Wędkowy is the largest facility manufacturing wooden windows in Poland and one of the biggest employers in Pomerania.

In 2017, the sales of electric cars in Poland, including plug-in hybrid cars, slightly exceeded 1000 vehicles, compared to several thousand sold in Norway or Germany. Despite the incentives envisaged in the new legal act, and the dropping prices of electric cars, they will hardly become common elements of the Polish road landscape in the nearest years. The car-sharing trend is likely to catch on far more quickly, and may lead to a drop in the demand for car ownership by even 80 percent.

As many as 80 percent of enterprises are experiencing problems receiving on-time payments from their contracting parties. At the same time, however, only a little more than a half of companies check their prospective partners before engaging in cooperation. Although the waiting time is getting shorter and is currently 3 months on average, in over 46 percent of companies one in five receivables is overdue. Modern technologies provide easier ways to collect debts. An online application for debt collection can increase the effectiveness of this process by up to a half.

In 2017 Polish companies exported goods with a value exceeding EUR 203 bn, and this year the results may be equally favourable. The economic situation of our major recipients in the EU is improving, and consumer and producer sentiments are on the rise. Machinery parts and food are our export hits, but, as experts point out, Polish exports are diversified and do not rely on a specific group of products, while domestic companies often find their market niches. In the years to come, even if the growth rate in exports decelerates, the share of Polish producers in the global market will still increase because of the relatively low prices.

By 2050 the shortages on the labour market will have reached around 10.6 m people aged 18-44. As the data published by Deloitte demonstrate, they can be compensated by the migration of 4.5 m employees from eastern countries. In 2017, 1.8 m declarations of the intention to commission work to foreigners were issued, 94% of which were for Ukrainians. The demand for workers from eastern countries is particularly high in the logistics sector, for which they are a guarantee of development. It is necessary to further simplify the employment procedures for foreigners from eastern countries and provide them with fair employment conditions. Without this, foreigners will choose Western European countries,” claimed Grzegorz Szenejko of Optimum GO.