Alstom : celebrates 20 years of presence in Poland

Alstom celebrates 20 years of its presence in Poland since the acquisition in 1997 of Konstal Chorzów located near Katowice. During the first years following the acquisition, Alstom Konstal focused mainly on the manufacturing of trams. The first metro train was produced in Katowice site for Warsaw and put into commercial operation in 2000. It was the very first aluminium metro train produced in Poland with local content requirement. It led to the installation of Western companies in Poland with technical transfer and know-how. The project was completed successfully on time despite a very challenging schedule. Among other significant Alstom's successfully completed projects are: trams for Warsaw, trams for Istanbul, metro for Budapest or metro for Amsterdam.

Alstom Konstal has recently transformed from a sub-components supplier to Alstom's full leading unit. In 2016, Alstom Konstal achieved the status of leading unit for projects related to the new generation of Coradia regional trains and for aluminium metros. The first projects implemented by Alstom Konstal as leading unit are InterCity New Generation regional trains for the Netherlands and Riyadh Metro. Today, Alstom Konstal has the appropriate competencies and experience to comprehensively manage projects from the beginning to the end. It is the outcome of several years of an intensive development of the site.

Lesław Kuzaj, Country President Alstom Poland said: 'Alstom Konstal has achieved this unique position of a global competence centre thanks to its employees who have shown high qualifications and care for quality. The twentieth anniversary of Alstom in Poland is a celebration day for the people who demonstrated how through their work the world's top can be reached and how to become one of the major sites of the global Alstom organization.'

Radosław Banach, CEO Alstom Konstal, added: 'We are very proud of our heritage here in our manufacturing site in Chorzów. We have a strong legacy of technical excellence and haven proven our ability to answer customers' needs. We are confident Alstom Konstal will have an even greater contribution to mobility in the future as well'.

Alstom's ambition is to contribute to the development of Poland's railway system with its technology and expertise. Alstom has been pioneer in introducing high-speed trains in the country with its Pendolino flagship for PKP InterCity.

Over the years, Alstom Konstal has developed a strong relation with the local community and institutions. With over 1,200 employees, Alstom is a local employer continuously investing in technology and skills. The company sources over 40% of components from subcontractors in Poland not only for its Polish factory, but for Alstom sites worldwide as well. The site has established strong relationships with technical universities in Poland to contribute to the development of local engineering skills in the railway industry and support its recruitment activities, focusing on engineers with experience in the railway industry as well as on talented graduates. The co-operation with Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice is unique in Poland. It's specifically aimed at the growing railway transport market