The closest and fastest growing
Poland is the geographically closest cross-border market that we don't yet have populated with delivered projects. The shared border is 547 km long; the Slovak Prešov Region and the Polish Podkarpacie cluster are effectively one geographical entity (Rzeszów is 90 minutes by car from Prešov). For us PL is a natural extended commuting zone and we're actively looking for the first client.
Regulatory framework
For electrical installations Poland applies PN-HD 60364 (Polish implementation of HD 60364) and the N SEP-E series (Norma Stowarzyszenia Elektryków Polskich) — especially N SEP-E-001 for earthing and protective measures, N SEP-E-002 for installations in residential premises, N SEP-E-004 for installations in agriculture.
For building permits the Prawo budowlane applies (a 1994 act with a substantial 2024 revision) — the parallel to the Slovak Building Act. For occupational safety the Kodeks Pracy plus the Council of Ministers Regulation of 13.05.2014 (parallel to Slovak Decree 508/2009).
A specifically Polish institution is **UDT — Urząd Dozoru Technicznego**. For pressure equipment, lifting equipment, gas piping systems and certain chemical equipment, every piece must pass UDT inspection before commissioning and annual UDT periodicals afterwards. For a Slovak supplier that means: if your delivery includes such equipment, UDT certification has to be arranged via a certified local UDT-rzeczoznawca. That's an additional layer over the SK process.
Posted Workers — the process
A Slovak supplier in Poland needs: A1 from Slovak Social Insurance, notification of posting to PIP (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy) via electronic form no later than the day work begins, plus compliance with Polish minimum wage (currently PLN 4,300/month from 1 January 2025) and applicable collective agreements for the sector.
For long-term thorough projects (over 12 months) Polish tax residence for the worker is added — but this doesn't currently affect us actively, since most projects would run over a shorter horizon.
Cross-border VAT — reverse charge under Art. 17 (1)(5) of the VAT Act, we issue invoices without VAT marked "odwrotne obciążenie" or "reverse charge".
The Polish market 2025–2030
Poland has been the fastest-growing industrial economy in Central Europe over the past ten years. Three segments are currently strongest:
**Large EV gigafactory zone** — LG Energy Solution Kobierzyce (the largest battery gigafactory in the EU for EVs), Northvolt Gdańsk (capital-troubled but still in play), CATL planned plant, Mercedes Jawor (Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Poland — engines for the EQ portfolio). For an integrator there's an open segment of SiC power semi integration and high-voltage battery systems here.
**Podkarpacie aviation and defence cluster (Rzeszów)** — Pratt & Whitney Rzeszów (Poland's largest aero engine plant — PZL), Aviation Valley Rzeszów as a cluster with Lockheed Martin, GE Aviation, Hispano-Suiza, MTU Aero Engines. For a Slovak supplier this cluster is the geographically closest in PL — Rzeszów is 90 minutes from Prešov.
**Automotive supplier orbit Śląsk + Wielkopolska** — Fiat Chrysler Tychy (Stellantis 500, Lancia), Volvo Buses Wrocław (city + electric buses), Volkswagen Poznań (commercial vehicles — Caddy, Crafter, T7 Multivan), Solaris Bus & Coach Bolechowo (electric and hydrogen buses). Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech in Nošovice is cross-border connected with the Tychy-Bielsko cluster.
Our commuting relationship
The closest Polish city from Prešov is Rzeszów — 90 minutes via the new S19 expressway. Krakow is 3 hours, Katowice 4 hours, Wrocław 6 hours, Warsaw 6 hours, Gdańsk 9 hours. For Podkarpacie and the Małopolska cluster we're effectively local — we can do same-day site visits without overnight stays.
For Wrocław, Poznań, Warsaw, Łódź, Gdańsk we work Monday-to-Friday mode with accommodation. For more distant regions (Szczecin, Pomeranian, Warmińsko-Mazurskie) we fly via KRK or WRO.
Where we're actively opening up in Poland
Rzeszów aviation and defence cluster (Podkarpacie) — geographically closest, actively seeking the first client. Our Sondermaschinenbau specialisation (special machines for aircraft structure assembly) matches local demand exactly here.
EV battery cluster (LG Energy Solution Kobierzyce, Mercedes Jawor) — we track expansions, offering SiC power semi integration and high-voltage battery installation. The UDT process is important here, which we have to arrange through a certified partner.
Automotive supplier orbit Śląsk (Tychy cluster) — geographically 4 hours from Prešov, a natural extension of our Žilina Region orbit (Kia + Volvo Trucks). Actively seeking a cross-border contract.
Language and communication
For the Polish market we have linguistically acceptable coverage via the Slovak base (mutually intelligible at about 70 percent) plus the Polish locale on our website. For serious project documentation we use professional translation with technical review. For project communication in practice a Polish + English mix is used.