The metal industry in Poland is a key pillar of the national economy, encompassing diversified sectors such as machining, welding and forging. With a long tradition of metal construction production, Poland continues to modernise thanks to significant transfers from the European Union and an attractive tax system. With a highly qualified, productive and abundant workforce in a country of 37 million inhabitants, the Polish market attracts a great deal of foreign direct investment. 🇵🇱💡

On 1 July 2024, the gross monthly minimum wage in Poland was increased to PLN 4,300 (around EUR 1,000). This increase of +1.4% compared to 1 January 2024 and +19.4% year-on-year (y-o-y) marks a significant change for many workers.

🔍 Key figures :

• 23.9% of employees, or 3.6 million people, are affected by this revaluation, according to the Ministry of Labour.
• In the 1st quarter of 2024, the average monthly wage in the corporate sector rose by 14.4% year-on-year, reaching PLN 8147.38 (EUR 1895).

For 2025, the government is proposing a one-off minimum wage increase of 7.6% to PLN 4,626, in response to continued wage pressure.

This measure reflects Poland’s ongoing commitment to improving the living and working conditions of its citizens.

Poland is at the forefront of the green revolution, breaking records in #renewableenergy production while reducing its dependence on coal to an all-time low. Renewables and nuclear power are forecast to dominate 74% of our energy market by 2040, and the opportunities for global suppliers in this sector are unprecedented. From major onshore wind installations to groundbreaking offshore projects, Poland is positioning itself as a European powerhouse when it comes to sustainable energy.

Join us in shaping a cleaner, greener future for #Poland and the world. 🇵🇱💡

We are excited to collaborate with Phronesys as they enter the Polish market! Our combined expertise and commitment to excellence will drive significant growth and innovation in this dynamic region.

The Phronesys’ mission extends beyond geographical expansion. The company is committed to guiding companies on their QHSE/ISO digitalisation journey and offer an all-in-one digital tool for managing Quality, Health, Safety, and Environment. They also specialize in digital transformation for QHSE/ISO management systems. From software implementation to consultancy, Phronesys drives organizations into a new era of efficiency.

Here’s to a successful and prosperous journey together! 🌟🚀

We’ve compiled a document outlining the significant opportunities arising in Poland for 2024, covering various sectors and industries.

🛡️ Defense & Aerospace : Witness the surge in defense spending, with Poland leading NATO in military investment. Explore the aerospace cluster, home to industry giants.

🌿 Energy Revolution: Dive into Poland’s energy transformation boom, including ambitious plans for #renewableenergy – photovolatics and offshore wind farms, and the country’s first nuclear plant by 2033.

🏗️ Infrastructure : Experience the transformation with massive investments supported by EU funds in roadways, railways, and river navigation, and the New Solidarity Transportation Hub (STH) Mega project, spearheading growth in construction and green building.

🏥 Healthcare & Medtech Advancements: Tap into the healthcare sector, fueled by rising demand for medical devices, innovative treatments, and medical tourism.

💻 IT & Cybersecurity Hub: Poland’s tech ecosystem, boasting rapid growth in cybersecurity and IT services, with a thriving community of technology companies and unicorn startups.

The document is available here.

In-depth overwiev of the investment landscape in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), with a particular focus on four countries: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Serbia. These countries have positioned themselves as magnets for large companies, fostering investor-friendly business environments complemented by a suite of compelling incentives.

Favorable tax regimes, financial grants, and supportive policies form the pillars of encouragement for large-scale investments. The governments in these countries have recognized the importance of attracting substantial capital and have strategically crafted incentives to bolster economic growth and development.

To learn more read this article prepared by Valians International in cooperation with CEIS.

Boostée par les fonds européens et une réelle volonté de moderniser les infrastructures existantes, l’industrie médicale représente l’un des marchés les plus dynamiques de Pologne.

Il existe un besoin général de remplacer les vieux équipements médicaux dans les hôpitaux publics. Dans le même temps, les soins de santé privés se développent rapidement. Les domaines d’opportunité comprennent le besoin de thérapies et d’équipements de soins de santé innovants, d’équipements de soins dentaires et de dispositifs qui augmentent l’efficacité et réduisent les taux d’occupation des hôpitaux. Il est nécessaire de moderniser les équipements spécialisés tels que la dialyse, les simulateurs cardiaques, les équipements orthopédiques et les prothèses, etc.

Le tourisme médical se développe également rapidement et se spécialise dans certains domaines. Les soins dentaires, la médecine esthétique, l’ophtalmologie, le traitement de l’obésité et les soins aux personnes âgées connaissent tous une croissance rapide, et cette tendance devrait se poursuivre dans les années à venir: la Pologne, par exemple, a la population vieillissante la plus rapide d’Europe.

Pour en savoir plus, nous avons préparé un focus sur le sujet que vous pouvez télécharger ici.

Optimizing long-term development in the Eastern European market can mean recruiting the right resources locally, whether they are managers, technical sales staff or even site directors. Poland has a wealth of highly qualified international profiles, fluent in several languages, capable of operating not only in Poland, but also in neighboring countries.

For more information, you can dowload this focus on human ressource solutions in Eastern Europe !

Any projects in Eastern Europe ? Contact us – valians@valians-international.com

During international development, it is essential for a company to be aware of the available solutions and choose the one that best suits its situation. Outsourcing the sales force, also known as “business development” or “key account management,” can be an interesting option to consider. This focus discusses the relevance of this approach and the situations in which it can be implemented.

For more information, you can download this focus on the business development solution in Eastern Europe.  Click here !

Any projects in Eastern Europe ? Contact us – valians@valians-international.com

Poland and Eastern Europe are showing strong resilience and a great capacity to adapt. Our countries are at the heart of many strategic development issues, whether in the context of supply chain relocation or the opportunities that are emerging in the future reconstruction of Ukraine.

To learn more about these topics, we invite you to watch the interview of Cédric Fromont conducted by the Statexio club in which he discusses the various themes of the moment in our area, its opportunities and recommendations for successful development.

Questions, projects? Contact us : valians@valians-international.com

Valians International has supported over 50 companies in the past three years with their sourcing and nearshoring initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe. These projects have covered various sectors, such as metal processing, plastics transformation, and electronics. Here are a few examples illustrating the current situation of these industries in the region.

 For more information, you may download this focus on the metallurgy, plastics, and electronics sectors in Eastern Europe. Click here !

Any projects in Eastern Europe ? Contact us – valians@valians-international.com

Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, the region has established itself as a key destination for nearshoring, benefiting from the trend of relocating sourcing and production operations. Through the analysis of the last 30 sourcing projects in Eastern Europe, you will find the success factors of these projects in the region.

For more information, you may download this focus on sourcing in Eastern Europe. Click here !

Any projects in Eastern Europe ? Contact us – valians@valians-international.com

We offer human resources solutions for your development in Eastern Europe. From HR and salary comparative study to HR organizational audit and personalized recruitment services, we help you optimize your human resources management and find the best talents to ensure your long-term success.

For more information, you can download this focus on human resources in Eastern Europe. Click here !

Any projects in Eastern Europe ? Contact us – valians@valians-international.com

This certification allows Walloon companies to use funding support to rely on our consulting and support services in their development in Eastern European countries (Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia)

A real recognition that comes in the continuity of our strategy of continuous improvement and implementation of high value-added services within VALIANS INTERNATIONAL to support the success of our customers in Eastern Europe.

On May 26th and 27th, the Valians International team gathered in Polanica -Zdroj to celebrate together the 10th anniversary of the company.

It was a great opportunity to enjoy quality time together and team building – let’s have a look at our best moments in Video!

The Valians team is now resourced and ready for the next 10 years by your side!

VALIANS INTERNATIONAL CELEBRATES ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY!

Dear customers, partners, and friends, it’s already been 10 years since Valians International was created by Maryline Bertheau-Sobczyk and Cédric FROMONT

– 10 years of passion for our profession

– 10 years of trust in us and that we are by your side for the success of your development in Eastern Europe.

We thank you for this wonderful human and professional adventure. We are ready for the next 10 years of success in Eastern Europe!

See you soon,

Valians International celebrates its 10th anniversary this year in May 2022!

For the occasion we would like to thank all our partners for their trust.
👉 10 years of meeting and partnerships 🌍🚀and many beautiful years to come.

Valians International is celebrating its 10th year anniversary !

For the occasion, we wish to thank all our clients for their trust.
👉 10 years of « Sucess stories » 🌍🚀and more wonderful years to come.

The worldwide pandemic situation that started at the beginning of 2020 has accelerated a global trend that emerged few years earlier of nearshoring sourcing and production operations. This was the consequence of a strategy of ”derisking” supply chain disruption: higher costs from Asia, diversification of sourcing options, made in Europe awareness and better control on logistic costs and delivery time.

 Companies from different industries (machinery, industrial equipment, retail, …) started to investigate other alternatives to China and Eastern Europe emerged as one of the major focus for European companies due to its closeness to European market with relatively low production costs.

 What is the situation after 2 years? Is Eastern Europe an alternative to China? What are the main factors of success and major challenges in sourcing in Eastern Europe nowadays?

 At Valians, we’ve been conducting sourcing and investment operations in Eastern Europe for over 25 years. From the beginning of the pandemic situation, we’ve been focusing our effort on ensuring access to reliable information and data in order to deliver short-time alternative to the Asian situation. This involved exhaustive identification of local suppliers, their access to raw materials, production capacities and availability, and also evaluation of best production location within the region via comparative investment and sourcing analysis.

 Sourcing in Eastern Europe is a complex and quite different process than in China. 1st of all, when you consider sourcing in Eastern Europe, you need to consider sourcing in over 15 different countries of different sizes, industrial know-how and cultures. It involves allocating many resources in identifying and qualifying reliable suppliers. In many cases, suppliers are not identifiable at 1st sight (no major fairs like Canton, no catalogues of suppliers, very few and low matured sectorial associations).

 2ndly, access to reliable information on suppliers is often quite limited. Without a local presence speaking local language and culture, it makes it very challenging to collect data.

 3rdly, suppliers from Eastern Europe are in most cases of lower size and production capacities than in China. It means that volumes cannot easily be transferred from China to Eastern Europe with 1 supplier. Limited financial assets of suppliers will also often limit them to expand production capacities to reach high volumes expected. Eastern Europe is rather a complementary option to China in a strategy of derisk than a total replacement option in the short term.

 During these last 2 years, our teams located in the different countries in Eastern Europe has been travelling intensively: Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, … to strengthen our position with our local network including public institutions – investment and export agencies. We edited several materials on sourcing opportunities per major industry in each country in Eastern Europe, and presented several webinars. During this period of time, we provided support to over 30 companies looking to nearshore production operations in Eastern Europe.

 Major outcomes: flexibility and resilience of Eastern European Suppliers

In the period between 2020 and beginning of 2021, most of the projects were mainly disrupted by the Pandemic situation as many factories were on a hybrid phase (limited number of workers present on site). But in the meantime, many Eastern European suppliers managed to adapt to the situation and to rapidly be competitive towards new demands from European companies, thanks to the fact that they had production capacities available and to the competitiveness of local currency. Some very successful operations were conducted by our team, especially in the plastic and packaging industry.

 From mid-2021, many Eastern European factories started to be at full capacity. In the meantime, worldwide situation on lack of raw materials and pressure on labour costs generated a need to identify new sources of suppliers.

 Thanks to our long-standing experienced team of partners present in each Eastern European country, we managed to collect in-depth reliable sourcing opportunities and identify a very large database of potential suppliers in most of the major industries. This allows us to get fast access to potential sources of suppliers and get a comprehensive and comparative view on the different sourcing options for our clients in the whole region.

 Like many companies in the world, Eastern European suppliers are directly hit by the current supply chain reshifting and limited access to raw materials. Nevertheless, Eastern European suppliers are in most cases very flexible and capable to adapt very rapidly to this environment. We see many suppliers willing and capable to reshift efficiently their production (automotive to consumer goods, finish goods to bathroom elements, …).We currently conduct successful operations for our clients in metal-working and aluminium parts, plastic consumer goods and home interior.

 Keys to success

A successful nearshoring of sourcing and production activities in Eastern Europe should be based on:

–       Being aware of the diversity of the industrial landscape of each country

–       Not comparing to the ”traditional” sourcing process from China

–       Focusing on generating successful landed costs operations (included direct and indirect costs), and rather on small volumes to start with, as a complement to China

–       Willing to allocate time and resources on identifying and qualifying the right suppliers

–       Going through a preliminary comparative sourcing analysis between the different countries in Eastern Europe to focus on most promising wins

–       Being supported by local experts on the ground having already a deep knowledge of industrial landscape and database of suppliers and with the capacity to coordinate the project in the whole region

 Trends and prospects 

The current situation in Ukraine and Russia will generate new challenges for Eastern European suppliers in gaining access to raw materials and shows once more the importance of diversifying its supply chain options. Eastern European suppliers show strong resiliance to external factors and their capacity to find short term solutions will definitely be an advantage in the current context.

Additionally, we currently see opportunities for strategic investment through acquisition of local suppliers in the region who are often willing to grow but usually lack of financial capacities. This solution enables foreign companies to secure production operations within Europe, using competitive and reliable existing production capacities.

click here for the pdf version : Nearshoring of sourcing and production operations in Eastern Europe: Situation and major outcomes after 2 years PDF

2021 was a great year for the Polish food industry.

Thanks to an impressive amount of food exports from Poland, the country was able to set a record in this field. This impressive productivity is largely due to attractive prices and a favorable ZLOTY exchange rate. With all these points, the “made in Poland” can only attract!

For the occasion, we have prepared an infographic that highlights the key achievements of the Polish food industry.

We are at your disposal to answer your questions – contact us at: valians@valians-international.com

POLAND – A CHAMPION IN THE AGRI-FOOD SECTOR (02.22)

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Finally the physical meetings! In June the Valians team met in person in Krakow! It was a moment of discussion, sharing of experiences, feedback on the different projects and above all a moment of conviviality which we have missed so much these last months.

In 2020, the e-commerce market in Poland will experience the strongest growth for several years. In addition, this market is forecast to grow at double-digit rates over the next three years. Our Managing Partner, Cédric FROMONT was glad to give Finnish companies from Business Finland its expertise of the e-commerce market in Poland in collaboration with the largest marketplace in the country Allegro.pl

Poland was one of the first country in Europe who took pre-emptive measures to slow down the propagation of the Covid-19. You will find in this article, the measures taken by the polish government and the reasons why Poland could be resilient to this crisis.

July 2023

With the focus of the month: Human Ressource solutions in Eastern Europe !

Newsletter Valians – May 2023

Newsletter Valians – March 2023

Newsletter Valians – January 2023

Newsletter Valians – November 2022

Newsletter Valians – October 2022

Newsletter Valians – July 2022 

Newsletter Valians – June 2022 

Newsletter Valians – March 2022 

Newsletter Valians – January 2022

Newsletter Valians – November 2021 

Newsletter Valians – September 2021

Newsletter Valians – July 2021

Newsletter Valians – May 2021

Newsletter Valians – March 2021

Newsletter Valians – January 2021

Cédric Fromont, Managing partner of Valians International got the renewal of his accreditation as Specialist in Foreign Trade by AWEX. Validate your project in Poland by contacting : valians@valians-international.com