Although the latest Eurostat figures paint an optimistic picture for Polish industry – with production growth of 2.4 per cent year-on-year in August, putting us in a solid tenth place in Europe against an EU average of just 1.1 per cent. – volume dynamics alone are not enough to remain competitive in the long term. Market experts point out that the ‘simple reserves’ of growth are slowly running out and the Polish economy is facing a difficult transition from a scale-based model to one based on energy efficiency and algorithms.
The conclusions of the market analysis are clear: the key to maintaining our position is no longer just catching up with infrastructure, which we have done successfully since joining the EU, but deep automation. Experts from Endress+Hauser, the Swiss industrial automation giant that has been present in Poland for three decades, point to a clear technological gap. Despite the impressive leap forward in civilisation, the use of artificial intelligence in domestic plants currently does not exceed 20 per cent. By comparison, in Switzerland, the rate hovers around 80 per cent. This ‘digital divide’ is a risk on the one hand, but on the other, a huge potential for process optimisation, especially in the context of real-time quality analytics.
The pressure to innovate comes not only from the desire for profit, but from tough regulatory and market requirements. Industry is faced with the need to drastically reduce emissions and energy intensity. In this context, automation ceases to be an option and becomes a condition for survival. Maciej Sieczka, Managing Director of Endress+Hauser Poland, notes the evolution of managerial attitudes. Poland, which has risen to a high 11th place in the company’s global revenue ranking (generating nearly PLN 300 million a year), has become a mature market. Local decision-makers are increasingly combining Polish entrepreneurship and adaptability with Western planning standards, which is reflected in the tripling of sales of the company’s solutions in the last decade.
However, human capital remains a challenge. Modern industry no longer needs just machine operators, but specialists with hybrid competencies – engineers who are comfortable navigating the world of data analytics, IIoT and digital twins. Without investment in human resources capable of handling collaborative robots or advanced measurement systems, the purchase of technology alone will not bring the expected return. It is the pace at which these changes are implemented that will determine whether the current strong performance of manufacturing is a sustainable trend or just a temporary respite from breathlessness.
