It includes a complete coverage of the latest developments as well as the latest corporate news accompanied by statistical data. This sector report is ideal to keep you abreast on recent company and industry news. Written by local analysts, it is a unique market and business intelligence analysis, tailored to save time by providing in-depth information, while helping you to make confident and informed business decisions. The report covers the period Dec 2005 - May 2006.
This year will be a very good year for the Polish automotive industry. Passenger car production should be as high as in 2005, which saw the biggest volume since 1999. However, in regional context, Poland lags behind its peers like the Czech Republic or much smaller Slovakia, where the automotive industry benefited from a few spectacular FDI. On the other hand, Poland became an important location of automotive components production for many major automotive industry players. Recent months witnessed the crucial decisions to increase capacities or locate production in Poland made by many existing car part makers (Fiat-GM Powertrain, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Poland). Several large FDI were announced by the completely new investors like Japanese Suruga Seiki, American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) or Japanese firm Nifco, for which the Swidnica-based plant is to be the main factory in Europe. The country has also emerged as an important bus production center in Europe. Bus production amounted to 2,753 units in 2005, an increase by 214 units (8.39%) from 2004. According to the Polish Automotive Industry Chamber (PIM), the upward trend in the automotive sector will remain in place in 2006. The chamber pointed to rising employment in the sector, which according to PIM, amounted to 114,000 at the end of September 2005, of which 25,500 are employed in car and engine production.
