ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

As Poland prepares for the upcoming ISSA/INTERCLEAN exhibition in Warsaw this April, correspondent Marek Kowalski explains why the country is full of opportunity.

You ask why invest in Poland? Well, since 2010 the potential of the Polish economy has gradually been rebuilt from the 2009 slump. The economic growth statistics of that period presented our country as European leaders. In 2011 GDP grew by 4.3 per cent. In the first half of 2012 the industrial production sold by companies of more than nine employees grew by 3.8 per cent compared to 2011.

According to the initial data for January-May 2012 from the Polish Central Statistical Office, total Polish exports assessed by current prices were 57 billion euros, 2.2 per cent higher than in the same period of 2011. At the same time overall imports reached 62 billion.

Among the main countries importing Polish goods were Germany, the UK and France, while most Polish imports came from Germany, Russia and China. Between January and June 2012 the zloty was weaker relative to the dollar and the euro. These results indicate a situation more conducive to imports rather than exports.

Growth of cleaning

The economic crisis affecting the world and Europe gave the Polish cleaning industry an impulse to leave the low level it has been pushed into for two decades, and take measures to become a worthy branch of Polish economy. The 2012 analysis showed that the industry employs around 550,000 people and generates an annual turnover of four billion euros.

In 2010 the Polish Cleaning Industry Chamber representing Polish cleaning business joined one of the three biggest Polish confederations associating employers - PKPP Lewiatan, which in turn, is the only Polish representative at the European association of employers Business Europe. Due to the liaison Polish Cleaning Industry Chamber representatives became members of consulting committees as advisors to the Labour Minister, working on the public tenders bill.

Between January and May 2012 we developed standards of cleanliness maintenance at railway stations upon assignment from the Polish Railway, which made it possible for cleaning companies to compete for public tenders not only on price but also in the quality of work. The success of the development resulted in our implementation of standards of cleanliness maintenance in railway carriages.

There is space for more producers in the market, especially those who offer new technologies in escalator cleanliness maintenance, façade and window cleaning, graffiti removal, wooden and stone floor protection. There are also opportunities in the healthcare industry.

It is clear then that the possibilities for the development of the cleaning industry in Poland are still very big both for producers and cleaning companies. In the analysis it is hard not to appreciate the fact that Poland can influence other eastern European markets due to the shorter delivery routes and the experience Polish managers have dealing with these markets.

The ISSA/INTERCLEAN CEE trade fair in Warsaw from April 24-26 will be an opportunity to enter both Polish and eastern European markets. A few places are left for latecomers.