LSEZ: support that drives investments

Years of intensive development have turned Łódź into an excellent hub for business activities, particularly evident in the progress achieved by companies operating in the Łódź Special Economic Zone.

What was the year 2023 like for the Łódź Special Economic Zone? Most certainly full of challenges. The stagnation of the economy, inflation, echoes of the Covidian standstill, the war in Ukraine – all of these caused dynamic changes in market trends. Consequently, difficult processes of verifying prices, sub-suppliers and even customers made it difficult for us to attract a major foreign investor. In the final analysis, we have maintained our leading position in terms of the number of investment projects. We have set our sights on the Polish economy and domestic companies, with a particular focus on SMEs.

Efficient strategy

The record in the entire history of the LSEZ – that is, 76 Decisions on Support has been achieved by a proper strategy, i.e. effective outreach to potential investors, intensive field work and comprehensive support. Furthermore, the task was made simpler by the Polish Investment Zone, i.e. accessible tools for the development of companies.

Our entrepreneurs are mainly representatives of the food industry (with an emphasis on organic products), warehousing, construction and packaging manufacturing industries.

Łódź's potential for acquiring mo dern services projects is still not being fully realized. A recent report by Cushman & Wakefield confirms the above, pointing to Łódź as a well-developed city regar ding office space, human potential, professional business partnerships and an extensive network of access roads.

The LSEZ, according to this report, is an excellent partner for the knowledge transfer, modern technology and innovation – with a close attention to the needs of the modern investor and the prospects of supporting them.

The successes of major projects

During this year, we have been developing multi-hectare sites with full infrastructure (two in Łódź province, one in Greater Poland), where strategic entrepreneurs will soon be able to settle. These are the foundations for the further activities of the Łódź SEZ, which will certainly result in large investments in the near future.

Besides, the LSEZ was the coordinator for Poland of the Re_Open UK Program, which ended in 2023, supporting companies affected by Brexit. More than 1,000 companies from all over Poland applied for the program, and the LSEZ eventually signed 642 agreements worth nearly EUR 70 million.

The Re_source Global Acceleration Program was yet another successfully completed challenge – the 4th acceleration project, but the first one that dealt with foreign startups ready and ripe for expansion, i.e. to start doing business in Poland.

The Re_source Poland Prize program aims to strengthen the Polish start- up ecosystem through the transfer of innovative ideas, business culture and talent from abroad along with creating the image of Poland as the first choice country in Central and Eastern Europe for conducting business for foreign startups. The Re_source program aimed to attract 38 international startups, which (together with a maximum funding amount of PLN 300,000 / startup) received comprehensive assistance – from foundation in Poland, through business development up to marketing.

Office hub

One more achievement of ours is the Re_connect office building, completed last autumn. This multimodal hub for business development, fostering innovation and cutting-edge technology was designed for entrepreneurs looking for a place for comprehensive growth. Amenities available here include co-working, an open innovation center, service offices for SMEs, offices for rent, and space for meet-ups and events. For those interested, audio and video podcasts can be rea li zed on the premises. Additional space in the new building is the approximately 100-meter terrace, where all kinds of events may be planned and organised.

LSEZ in metaverse

But, importantly, we are not slowing down. Since January of this year, the Re_d – Rethink Digital Hub – or Digital Transformation Hub within the European Digital Innovation Hub network (or EDIH) has started operating. It is the place where the LSEZ, together with 7 substantive partners, will support small and medium-sized companies in their digital transformation. The project is supported by the European Commission and EU member states. The Hub will be a center for education, consulting and implementation of services to the SME sector in the areas of new technologies, in particular: metaverse, cyber-security, blockchain, industry 4.0 and robotics and automation, offering services in the form of: specialized training, knowledge transfer, competence development, Test Before Invest services, support in finding sources of funding for digitization projects and activities related to building local innovation ecosystems. The budget for this project is PLN 20.3 million.

Professionalization of services

Łódź, throughout many years, has established a strong business position on the map of Poland. Looking at the companies clustered around the Łódź Special Economic Zone, it is clear that we are making progress in professionalizing services – both in hard business and manufacturing. This is further facilitated by the ever-expanding scientific infrastructure and exceptional universities, thanks to which we have more and more specialized graduates. Therefore it is worth locating your business here.

Author: Dorota Lombardi, Director, Business Development and Support Department, Łódź Special Economic Zone

This article comes from magazine:
FOCUS ON Business #15 marzec-kwiecień (2/2024)