During this year’s Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, 4 – 6 May 2019, the Pomerania region showcased its investment potential for the first time in the history of the conference.
Pomerania has long traditions and highly developed competencies in shipbuilding, which has over the years specialized in high added-value niche products, such as platform support, cable-laying and jack-up vessels. OTC, one of the largest 100 tradeshows held annually in the United States and among the 10 largest meetings in terms of attendance, offered a great opportunity to introduce the U.S. market to the region’s investment potential in the maritime and offshore sector.
Accompanying Invest in Pomerania, a number of local companies also presented their offer, ranging from advanced vessel design through diagnostics and service of engines, to scrubber systems and fire extinguishing installations.
From great history to high performance
Since the fall of communism, Poland has become the 8th largest economy in the European Union and the largest among the Central European members. With the GDP growing on average 4% a year since the 90s, the country has sustained steady growth also following the 2008 crisis, becoming one of the fastest-growing economies worldwide pre-crisis and the fastest-growing economy in post-crisis Europe, according to McKinsey. As a confirmation of its remarkable progress, in 2018 Poland was reclassified from Emerging to Developed Market by a leading index provider, FTSE Russell.
The Pomerania region has been at the forefront of this impressive development as one of the top-performing regions in Poland and in Europe. In 2017, the region experienced a 7% GDP growth, and in the same year ranked fourth in the Milken Institute’s “Best Performing Cities in the EU” for the period of the last five years.
What makes Pomerania an attractive FDI destination?
• A highly educated workforce, with an English proficiency that rivals Germany, France, and Scandinavia
• An industry leading Business Services Sector that provides excellent opportunities for optimizing various operation areas
• World-class engineers at your disposal to help you discover solutions for software development in finance and accounting, HR, and customer service through robotic process automation (RPA), big data analysis, and machine learning
• Established R&D activities that will help your biotech/medtech products find their true potential
• A leading hub for automotive, electronics and advanced maritime projects
• A solution to your company’s Brexit woes
• One of the largest port systems in Europe offering regular weekly direct calls with the Far East
• A super-efficient investment support and incentive system
Whopping American investments
American partners are among the key investors in the Polish market. US companies generate the most investment projects both in the country and in the region of Pomerania. The value of the American investments in Poland amounted to 42 billion USD in 2018, which translated into over 220,000 jobs. Among the key investors are companies such as Amazon, Google, 3M, GE, JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, while Pomerania alone is home to key R&D centers by Amazon (Alexa solutions) and Intel (i.e. embedded systems for autonomous vehicles) along with other delivery and manufacturing sites by Eaton, Federal Mogul, Flex, Jabil and share service centers by Arrow or State Street – to name just a few.
Recognizing the US market as one of Poland’s priority destinations, the Polish Investment and Trade Agency has recently opened its bureau in Houston, Texas, that serves seven states in the Southeast United States (Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas).
“The Houston Bureau is the 70th office that the Agency has launched in a two year period, and joins its network of five other U.S. based offices in New York, Washington, DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco,” said Zuzanna Kobrzynski, Houston Bureau Chief. “This tremendous growth is in response to the overwhelming interest in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.”
With over 15 years of experience in helping U.S. companies such as Amazon, Google, 3M, GE, and Goldman Sachs invest in Poland, the Polish Investment and Trade Agency is now looking forward to working with U.S. business communities and Polish agencies such as Invest in Pomerania to fulfill its mission of encouraging Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Poland and helping Polish companies launch their products and services in the U.S., Kobrzyński added.
Invest in Pomerania’s Marcin Grzegory presents the region’s investment potential in Austin, Texas, during the meeting organised by Austin Center for Global Trade. 
Invest in Pomerania presents the region’s investment potential in Austin, Texas, during the meeting organised by Austin Center for Global Trade. 
Invest in Pomerania’s team and guests at OTC 2019. 
Invest in Pomerania’s team and guests at OTC 2019. 
