In 1996, when KSEZ was created it was given a little over 800 ha of land (none of which was actually the property of KSEZ) and a directive to make these plots available for new investments. For KSEZ that meant an expenditure of over USD 100 million with very few assets of its own.
In the next years mainly the automotive industry found the southern region of Poland a good place to locate factories. Large companies such as Fiat and General Motors, attracted many subcontractors and suppliers to join KSEZ. Currently most of the investment capital and new jobs in the zone are generated by automotive companies or companies related to the automotive business.
Currently the Katowice Special Economic Zone boasts an area of 1544 ha, lots located in various places of the Silesian province, over 200 investment projects, over 6 billion dollars of investment capital (80% coming form abroad) and over 34 thousand new jobs created within the Zone
As impressive as the number of new jobs created in KSEZ companies may be, the actual number of new jobs created is much bigger. Over 34,000 people are currently working in companies that were given a permit to conduct their business within the zone. However, each company needs to outsource certain services, which more jobs created indirectly by KSEZ investments. In fact, one job created by a company within the zone generates two to three new jobs outside the zone. This mechanism has been a major factor when it comes to lowering the unemployment rate in the region.
The success of the Katowice Special Economic Zone is not only a result of its own efforts. All KSEZ areas are very well connected with the main transit lines in the region. The A4 motorway, the biggest motorway in Poland goes right through the city of Katowice and Gliwice. It allows to reach Germany and Ukraine in 3-4 hours by car. Two nearby airports (Katowice and Krakow) provide air transport to every major European city is no more than 3 hours.
Road infrastructure is constantly evolving and improving. The biggest and the most important project is the A1 motorway that’s going to intersect with the existing A4 motorway near the city of Gliwice creating the largest motorway junction in Poland.
Katowice also is the region with the largest density of railway lines in Poland. But there is also an additional advantage. This country’s only wide-track railway line (used in Russia and Asia) crosses into Poland from Ukraine and runs all the way to the town of Slawkow just 20 km to the east of Katowice. In Sławków a Euroterminal for wide-track transit was established – a logistica terminal that allows to unload stock from regular width track (used all over Europe) or road vehicles, load it onto wide-track carriages, and transport it even to the China, the Russian Far East and South Korea.
Silesia is still an industrial region, but it is quickly evolving into a business center where companies providing IT, accounting and advisory services might also find a home. The Katowice Special Economic Zone has joined the tide of change and started to offer tax relief not only for industrial projects all over the province, but Business Process Outsourcing projects in Katowice City centre as well. Already two BPO projecta are part of KSEZ and many more will follow as there are at least three large investments underway connected with building large office facilities (these lands already have the KSEZ status).
The Katowice Special Economic Zone is constantly evolving, keeping up the pace with the amount of new investments within the region. The place where the company is now has exceeded all original expectations of 1996 when it was founded. Even bigger hopes are attached with the future, because the economic situation, the technical condition and the opportunities are much better then they were more than 12 years ago.