Russian automotive company Intrall is coming close to realizing it plans to produce cars in Szczecin, northwestern Poland.

An agreement between the investor, the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiZ) and the Zachodniopomorskie voivodship marshal is to be signed during the second half of January, reports Rzeczpospolita. The investment is valued at zł.200 million.

The new plant will employ 500 people for a start. The facility in Szczecin would be part of a larger undertaking by the Russian investor, as Intrall is building a large production complex in Stavropol. Russian and Polish companies are set to be among component suppliers. The manufacturing site in Szczecin would not be too big, but a research and development office would also form part of the investment.

The location has not yet been determined, but under consideration are old shipyard properties and a greenfield facility. Intrall already had an operation in Poland prior to this deal: it bought out the Lublin facility of bankrupt Daewoo Motor Poland and had planned to build delivery vehicles; a project which didn’t work out in the end.

Szczecin authorities are looking forward to the new investment. As deputy mayor Aleksander Buwelski points out, industrial jobs are scarce in the region, but Szczecin has a sea port and a good road network to Germany. These factors could certainly attract more Russian investors, he said.

Poland AM