Special focus 2 Poland: Pump market and pump production in Poland

摘要

In the second of two articles looking at new European Union countries we turn our attention to Poland. With its current levels of GNP growth and infrastructure development, Poland - the largest of the recent European Union accession countries - is an attractive market for capital investment items such as pumps. Piotr Switalski and Grzegorz Pakula of the Polish Pump Manufacturers Association discuss the forces that have shaped the development of the country's pump market from 1945 until the present and briefly examine the different sectors of that market. They also consider the history of pump production in Poland and outline the expertise of many of the country's major manufacturers. Poland, with its 38 million inhabitants is the largest of the ten countries that joined the European Union (EU) in 2004. Recently the country has enjoyed a national product (GNP) growth significantly higher that in the 'old' EU countries. However, one has to bear in mind that the national product per capita in Poland is currently much lower than the EU average and the level of infrastructure development is also far from that of the EU norm. The EU directives are forcing Poland to overcome its infrastructure shortcomings within the next few years, and this - combined with the above-mentioned economic growth - makes the country an attractive market for investment goods, including pumps.