The agency currently cooperates with nearly 20 producers and sub-suppliers from this sector.
The Belgian Umicore Group has 48 plants worldwide, in which it produces catalytic converters that reduce emission (this type of plant is located near Nowa Ruda) and recycles precious metals. Near Nysą, in the Opole Voivodeship, they will produce cathode materials that are part of the batteries used in electric vehicles. The symbolic beginning of Umicore's presence in Nysa, was the laying of the foundation stone, which took place on February 25 in Radzikowice. Among those who took part, were Umicore Group President Marc Grynberg, Board Member of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency Grzegorz Słomkowski and representatives of the local administration.
- The company, thanks to its innovative technology, responsible extraction of raw materials and the use of closed circulation of materials, is very strongly involved in the transformation process towards electric mobility. We are the leading supplier of cathode materials in electric transport and that is why it is so important for us to be able to reach customers in various regions of the world. The construction of a new production plant in Nysa fits in perfectly with this strategy - emphasized Umicore CEO Marc Grynberg.
According to the investor's representatives, construction work already began in 2019, and will last several months. The production process is expected to start at the end of 2020. About 400 people will find work in the new Umicore plant, including some with high technical qualifications. The Belgian investor is also planning to cooperate with the State Higher Vocational School in Nysa. This is the largest foreign investment in the region and one of the largest in Poland. Its estimated value is around EUR 660 million.
Supporting the inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) is one of the main tasks of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH). The agency is responsible for supporting nearly 30 percent of all FDI implemented in Poland
- Due to the fact that, Poland is focusing on the development of innovation, we at PAIH put special emphasis on attracting projects that guarantee the transfer of knowledge and high-quality jobs. The total value of investments that we supported, increased from EUR 500 million in 2015 to almost EUR 3 billion in 2019 - noted Grzegorz Słomkowski, Member of the Board of PAIH, during the event.
He added, that the agency has observed the largest increase in the number of projects among R&D and e-mobility investments. - This is very good news both for us, because we implement the Government’s economic policy, as well as for the Polish economy and for Polish employees - said PAIH’s Board Member.
So far, the Agency has supported 24 projects in the e-mobility industry. Investors with whom PAIH cooperated, declared an employment level of 7.7 thousand. people. Among them was the Belgian group Umicore. The agency supported Umicore, in among things, their choice of location and in their contacts with the local administration.
- Poland has a unique, on an european scale, ecosystem of producers and suppliers for the electromobility industry. Our assets are primarily in our highly qualified employees and stable economy. The Umicore investment, which is based on the latest technology, will certainly contribute to the development of innovation in Poland. Umicore demonstrates another example of reinvestment. Which shows the huge trust, that this investor has placed in Poland and Polish employees. We hope that other investors of this type, will follow in Umicore’s footsteps and that the Polish Investment and Trade Agency will be able to work on similar projects in the future - Grzegorz Słomkowski pointed out during the ceremony.
