The plant is being built on the area of 41 hectares within the Stargard technology park in Kluczewo, where a post-Soviet military airport used to be located. The former runway ends right behind the Cargotec fence. In the place where MiG aircraft used to take up, a plant with 200 employees will start its operations in the second quarter of 2010. Only in 2009 the company’s investment in the assembly shop will amount to EUR 20 million.

The Stargard factory is going to be one of the largest plants of the Finnish concern, manufacturing all types of the company’s handling equipment and vehicles, including overhead cranes, cranes, wood transport vehicles and stackers.

Cooperation with the Finns may be beneficial for the steel companies operating in the West Pomeranian Region.

“At present our companies order components from different Polish suppliers. After the launch of the assembly shop in Stargard we will look for business partners in the West Pomeranian Region”, announced Adam Ryniak, director of the Stargard Cargotec plant.

On the date of laying the foundation stone, the construction site in Kluczewo was visited by Rafał Baniak – Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Economy, Sławomir Majdan, President of the Management Board in the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency as well as Vesa Himanen, the Finnish Ambassador in Poland.

One out of seven

The Finnish investor considered seven locations in several countries. Why has Stargard been chosen?

“Construction of a plant in Stargard will ensure easy access to our key market – Western Europe. It will also be easier to reinforce our position in Central and Eastern Europe. What also needs to be emphasized is effective cooperation with the local authorities”, says Mikael Mäkinen, CEO of the Cargotec concern.

“This investment project is a tremendous success of the Investor Service Center in the Marshal’s Office, the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency as well as local and regional authorities. But in our region we also face serious problems, including the Szczecin Shipyard. I hope that highly-qualified shipyard workers will find a job in the Cargotec plant”, said Witold Jabłoński, Deputy Marshal of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship.

Finnish handling

Cargotec Corporation was established in 2005 as a result of a merger of three leading companies in the market of handling and transport equipment. It employs approx. 12 thousand people in 160 countries. The company’s production plants are located in Europe, the United States and Asia. Its shares are listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd. stock exchange. The revenue generated by the company in 2008 reached the level of EUR 3.4 billion, whereas its operating profit amounted to EUR 174 million.

The investment plan for a new plant was announced by Cargotec in April this year. In June 2009 41 hectares of land were acquired. Cargotec has already launched its assembly operations in assembly rooms leased in Goleniów. The first products to be manufactured in the leased rooms include gripping frames as well as medium-sized terminal tractors. One of the reasons for launching production in Goleniów is to train the crew.

mab