Truck haven

The three world-players in lorry production have all picked Poland because it offers a combination of favorable factors.

The most recent investor, German truck producer Man Nutzfahrzeuge AG, says its search for a new production center in Central Europe was swayed by the new site's proximity to the two plants Man currently operates in Sady and Starachowice, near Poznań. Man's third plant, in Niepołomice, near Kraków, will cost the company EUR 90-100 (zł.358-398) million and employ 650 people to produce 15,000 vehicles a year.

Analysts say that while Man's main motivation was to consolidate future spending, the driving force behind Volvo's and Scania's investments was logistics. Joachim Dürr, Man's general manager for central purchasing, said that Poland's vicinity to Scandinavia was probably the country's biggest advantage for his competitors.