Poland EU’s biggest producer of household appliances, says new report
Poland is the biggest producer of household appliances in the EU and the second largest in the world, according to a new report.
Published by APPLiA Polska the report says that in 2022 the value of the industry to Poland amounted to little short of PLN 27 billion.
Speaking at the official presentation of the report, Waldemar Buda, the Minister of Development and Technology, said: “Poland is a European leader in the production of household appliances with 35 of our factories responsible for around 40 percent of the EU’s entire production volume for large household appliances.”
Now a major global player in this field, Poland stands as the world’s biggest exporter of machines such as dishwashers and clothes dryers.
Employing in excess of 100,000 people, an expected contraction was nonetheless registered in terms of both overall production and exports.
According to Wojciech Konecki, the president of APPLiA Polska, production “decreased quantitively to the level of 2019” – a fall of about three million units.
The value of exports exceeded PLN 24 billion, but whilst this was similar to the previous year, in real terms it represented a year-on-year drop of 13 percent.
This, however, was largely in line with expectations given the planet’s prevailing economic mood.
Half of Polish exports found themselves sent directly to Europe’s largest markets (Germany, France, Italy and Great Britain), but this was offset by a considerable fall in exports to Russia and Ukraine.
Wojciech Konecki, the president of APPLiA Polska, production said that despite an increase in prices caused by Russia’s war on Ukraine, “production volumes in 2022 were at pre-pandemic levels, which may signal some stabilization after a two-year period of record orders.”
Although the slowdown has proved notable, analysts have been quick to remind that the sector is still developing strongly with investment levels hovering around the PLN 2 billion mark.
“This increase in investment is a good sign for the entire industry,” said Wojciech Konecki. “and another challenging year is now behind us.”
Continuing, Konecki said: “After large increases in the price of raw materials and energy throughout Europe caused by Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine, double-digit inflation and rising interest rates, demand for durable goods, including household appliances, fell sharply across Europe.
Waldemar Buda the Minister of Development and Technology said: “We have very good cards on the table,” he said. “Our proximity to Ukraine is also an advantage from the point of view that once the country’s reconstruction begins, global firms will likely look to Poland in the context of a starting point for Ukraine.”
“However, production volumes in 2022 were at pre-pandemic levels, which may signal some stabilization after a two-year period of record orders.”
Waldemar Buda also chose to draw positives. “We have very good cards on the table,” he said. “Our proximity to Ukraine is also an advantage from the point of view that once the country’s reconstruction begins, global firms will likely look to Poland in the context of a starting point for Ukraine.”
By building their presence in Poland, Buda theorised that multinationals would be able to use the country as a springboard to reach its eastern neighbour.
Buda added: “Poland is a European leader in the production of household appliances with 35 of our factories responsible for around 40 percent of the EU’s entire production volume for large household appliances.”
Speaking of “good news in bad times”, Buda also focused on the potential impact that this would have on the labour market.
“You can build a factory quickly, hire people quickly, adapt to the market’s needs and increase or reduce production as required – this is valuable from the market’s point of view.”
The principal firms operating in Poland’s household appliances industry are BSH Home Appliances, Electrolux Poland, Whirlpool, Samsung Electronics Poland Manufacturing and Amica, with 73 percent of the sector’s workforce employed by those companies.
Directly providing work for 34,000 people, the sector’s employment levels are boosted by a further 70,000 plus people involved in such segments as appliance repair services and the provision of materials.
