The computer company Lenovo, which is predominantly Chinese-owned, is likely to choose Poland over its smaller neighbor, also an EU member, Slovakia, for a new personal computer factory that could employ up to a thousand people, reported the Polish daily Puls Biznesu.
However, the investment plan worth approximately 60 million zlotys has encountered difficulties due to a promised government subsidy related to the land for the factory, according to Polish newspapers. The investment is planned for the special economic zone Legnica, one of 14 such zones near major Polish cities where investors receive special incentives. "I am confident that the company will come to Poland, but it is not a done deal yet," said Wojciech Szelagowski, an official at the Polish Agency for Information and Foreign Investments.
Lenovo would be the second global computer giant after the American Dell to invest in a large computer manufacturing facility in Poland. "The decision to locate the factory in Poland will be dictated by the need for quick product delivery," said Stefan Kaminski, head of the National Chamber of Electronics and Telecommunications. "While production in the Far East is much cheaper, transportation can take longer than 10 weeks, and in the computer sector, that is a very long period," he noted. Lenovo Group is the fourth largest global manufacturer of personal computers and is characterized by the fact that the Chinese government is its largest single shareholder. (H)
