Australian manufacturer PWR will open a production plant in Krosno, in Poland's Podkarpackie region, according to WP Finanse. The company, which makes cooling technologies for aviation, automotive and defence applications, plans to spend more than 27.6 million zł in the first phase of the project and to employ 100 people over time. Production is scheduled to begin in February 2027.
The facility is a production and warehouse hall with 3,500 square metres of manufacturing space and roughly 800 square metres set aside for offices, staff facilities and technical areas. It was built by Agencja Rozwoju Przemysłu S.A. (ARP) at a cost of about 18 million zł, and PWR has signed a ten-year lease with an option to extend, WP Finanse reports.
Why it matters
The project adds a fourth country to PWR's global manufacturing footprint, after Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. For Krosno, it means a new industrial employer in a region that has attracted a steady flow of foreign manufacturers, and for PWR it provides a European base at a time when the company says it struggles to find enough specialists at home.
The investment also carries a public-support element. During the formal handover of the building, the investor received the 275th decision granting support under the Polish Investment Zone scheme. According to WP Finanse, that decision gives PWR relief from corporate income tax of up to 50 percent of eligible investment costs — around 13 million zł — spread over 15 years.
What the money will buy
Krzysztof Ślęzak, deputy director of ARP's Mielec branch, said the declared 27.6 million zł would go mainly toward technical infrastructure, machinery and equipment, modern technologies, 3D printers, the company's own wastewater treatment plant and assembly tables, WP Finanse reports.
Longer-term spending is expected to be considerably larger. Kees Weel, founder and supervisory board member of the PWR Group, said the Krosno site would receive substantial capital for equipment and new technology over the next five years, with outlays potentially reaching 50 million euro in the longer term.
Hiring will proceed in stages. Weel said the first employment contract was signed in the week of the announcement. The choice of Podkarpackie was driven in part by the availability of skilled workers. Wayne Rodgers, PWR Group's managing director for Europe, said the company faces a shortage of specialists in Australia, which was one of the main reasons it chose Krosno. The firm also intends to work closely with local technical schools and universities, including internship programmes for graduates.
Asked by PAP about risks linked to the region's proximity to Ukraine, company representatives said they had examined the question. Weel described the risk as very small and said the company felt fully safe in Krosno and in Poland, adding that its investments are always long-term.
Components first, full production later
The Krosno plant will initially make components and sub-assemblies for heat exchangers, which will be sent for final assembly to PWR factories in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. The products are used in cooling systems for electronics and radar in aviation and the defence sector, including work under contracts with the US government, as well as in high-performance vehicles.
A full production cycle is planned for a later stage. ARP and the investor are already discussing expanding the hall by another 1,500 square metres and possibly constructing a second, identical building.
Watch for the start of production in February 2027 and for a decision on the planned expansion of the Krosno site.
