Dancer Bus joins forces with Altas Auto

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This week, the manufacturers of DANCER electric city buses Vėjo Projektai from Klaipeda FEZ and the Lithuanian automotive company Altas Auto producing medium and small class electric buses, signed a cooperation agreement that will help to better achieve common goals in both Lithuanian and foreign markets. By joining forces, the companies will also jointly make sales in EU markets.

Sharing engineering experience and representing the interests of sustainable transport at the national level are the main tasks of the alliance brought together by the two largest Lithuanian electric transport manufacturers, a joint press release states.

“The market for electric bus manufacturers in Europe is still in its infancy, so there is a great lack of common understanding and information for national and urban decision-makers about the opportunities and benefits of the new generation of electric urban transport. Together with “Dancer”, we are the leaders in engineering innovation in this field, so we will maintain an active dialogue with decision-makers and thus strive for faster growth in this field,” says Edvardas Radzevičius, the CEO of Altas Auto.

“Compared to large automotive corporations, we are a relatively small company, so only by joining forces can we be competitive,” says Alvydas Naujėkas, the General Manager of Vėjo Projektai. “We believe that the EU-wide political priority, mobilized financial resources to develop electric transport systems and the growing demand for electric buses will allow Lithuanian manufacturers to successfully establish themselves in European markets”.

Today, both Lithuanian electric bus manufacturers focus on different bus classes, so the combined sales forces will offer the customers a wider choice of vehicles – M2, M3 class city and intercity buses.

Companies’ executives hope that this cooperation will help ensure the competitiveness of Lithuanian vehicles in foreign markets, and we will see “Dancer” and “Altas Auto” buses in more and more European cities.

In European countries, the market for electric buses is growing extremely fast. Of the more than 5,000 large electric buses currently registered in Europe, more than 3,700 have been registered in the last two years.

However, the market is only gaining momentum, with 22% more electric buses registered last year alone than in 2019. Moreover, in the streets of European countries, almost 600,000 polluting diesel-powered public transport buses are still used and to be in line with the EU’s Green Deal efforts to reduce transport pollution, they should be replaced by clean ones in the next couple of decades.

The new agreement between Vėjo Projektai and Altas Auto will open opportunities to develop new electric transport engineering solutions, implement a joint sales strategy, have joint sales and vehicle service representatives in European countries, and participate in public procurement of state or municipal public transport companies. 

First Billion: Kaunas FEZ enters nine-zero zone

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Since attracting its first investor in 2005, the Kaunas Free Economic Zone (FEZ) has had a number of significant achievements in its history – from attracting one of the largest foreign investments in Lithuania to more than 6.2 thousand new jobs created by businesses operating in the territory of the FEZ. To add to this list of achievements: entering the zone of nine zeros – investments attracted by Kaunas FEZ exceeded a billion euros.

“The Kaunas FEZ is a dynamic project that develops as a result of both internal and external factors. New infrastructure is constantly being installed in and around the territory, from the construction of new streets to the construction of viaducts to control traffic flows; the legislative framework and the application of tax incentives are being improved. A favourable investment environment for the implementation of new projects is created by the growth processes of the Kaunas region and the resources of talents, much needed for business. The first billion euros in investments generated by customers mark not only the contribution of the management company to the creation of a business environment for rapid establishment, but also the essential and timely potential of the Kaunas region,” noted Vytautas Petružis, Director of the Kaunas FEZ Management Company. He also stresses that investments are not just a number: they bring people back, protect against brain drain, and, as the experiences and examples of companies operating in the Kaunas FEZ show, investments multiply and convert into even larger numbers – the amount of investments attracted by Kaunas FEZ is increased not only by new investors coming, but also by existing ones expanding their activities.

 Currently, 44 investors have rented about 155 hectares of the Kaunas FEZ territory, employing more than 6 thousand people in manufacturing and service companies, and since 2007, when the first employees started to work in Kaunas FEZ, over €131 million in employment taxes have been generated.

Sustainable enterprises, both local and foreign, set up here. The latter generate for the Kaunas FEZ 67% of FDI, which leads to the arrival of modern technologies several times faster than the Lithuanian average. According to Mr Petružis, the Republic of Lithuania, the European Union, and the municipalities of Kaunas district and Kaunas city have invested around €23 million in the Kaunas FEZ, and the profitability of this project for the state is already 5.6 times higher.

“Lithuania can compete effectively with other foreign countries in attracting significant foreign capital projects by having a place ready for investment. Foreign direct investment in the Kaunas FEZ is several times higher than the Lithuanian average, while the total ten-digit amount of investments attracted shows Lithuania’s real attractiveness for this type of project. At the same time, this is also an achievement for the whole region of Kaunas – foreign investors create highly qualified jobs, contribute to technological development and successful industrial expansion,” noted Vida Staskonienė, Director of the Business Development Department of Invest Lithuania.

“The one billion in investment attracted by the Kaunas FEZ is a truly extraordinary event that demonstrates the huge potential of our country’s economy. All investments are essential for our economy, not only contributing to the creation of new well-paid jobs, but also strategically increasing technological breakthroughs, the country’s visibility, and global competitiveness. We aim to create favourable conditions for investors to settle and expand in Lithuania – this requires a long-term and sustainable state strategy that ensures favourable conditions for investment, high qualification of employees, and adequate infrastructure,” said Aušrinė Armonaitė, Minister of Economy and Innovation.

From first founders – to local ambassadors

In 2007, one of the first “settlers” in the territory of the Kaunas FEZ was the Lithuanian-capital innovation and production company Elinta. However, at that time their new building actually seemed too spacious: the Elinta group of companies had only three companies and 60 employees, so part of the building was rented out to other companies. In 14 years, the group grew to seven companies that today employ more than 140 employees and now occupy the entire building.

Recalling the first steps in transferring activities to the then only just-formed territory of the Kaunas FEZ, Vytautas Jokužis, CEO of the Elinta group of companies, admits that although it was somewhat inconvenient to move to a completely empty area of the countryside, attractiveness was both in the right first infrastructure installation steps and the FEZ strategy itself.

“I never doubted that in such a geographically convenient location, near Kaunas and near the main transport lines, was the most suitable place for our company. Moreover, although I had another spot for my company at that time, there was no good way to get there. When I calculated how much it would cost to build a road – I chose the Kaunas FEZ. The main draw here was the knowledge that this place is for industry, so, say, private homes, will never crop up next to our company. In addition, since we were engaged in automation work at that time, I hoped that our services would also be of interest for companies in this area. This was exactly the case: the FEZ companies are now our customers. Calculating the tax benefits received during those 14 years results in a decent amount that I invested in the development of my business. And this means that the benefits allowed us to grow even faster,” said Mr Jokužis.

Plans to focus on growth

With the biggest leaps both in terms of the amount of attracted investments and the number of sub-leased space and new jobs created in the history of Kaunas FEZ, the year 2017 is notable. It was a time when, among other investors, , leading companies in the automotive industry entered the territory – and Lithuania.

One of them is HELLA Lithuania, who, looking back to recent years of operation, first of all note that the decision to settle in the Kaunas FEZ was determined by very clear and specific criteria, all of which were met by this territory: business-friendly higher education institutions that prepare good workers, the supply of skilled workers on the market, adequate infrastructure, attractiveness of the country. and good cooperation with public institutions. “Our future plans focus on growth: HELLA has a successful product portfolio that takes into account major trends in the automotive industry, including electrification and automated control solutions. HELLA Lithuania is interested in continuing its success story in Lithuania. And, we will be happy if our successful activities in Lithuania inspire other investors too. We are especially looking forward to the development of automotive component suppliers in Kaunas – here we see great prospects and opportunities for the future,” said Tobias Pohlschmidt, Managing Director of HELLA Lithuania.

These objectives require, of course, qualified and motivated staff; the demand is especially high for engineers with a technical education and a background in quality and logistics management. The company manages to attract some of the necessary employees to Kaunas from abroad, both by inviting foreigners to work and bringing back Lithuanians from emigration.

Returning expats

No less successfully emigrants are returned to Lithuania by another Kaunas FEZ-based and rapidly growing international health care product manufacturing company, Hollister, which invested about €50 million in its first opened plant. A year ago, the company announced that one in six of their employees had returned from emigration.

“This trend is still going strong. In addition, we always ask our new employees what encouraged them to return to Lithuania and choose to work in our company. Most often these are people who already have work experience in an international company and are looking for employers meeting the same criteria in their home country. So, our company perfectly meets their expectations,” said Shane Caher, former CEO of Hollister Lietuva.

Representatives of the company say that one of the main reasons that led to the decision to settle in Lithuania was that Lithuanian and Hollister’s working cultures are very close: employees value education, are prone to innovation, are able to work together, and implement what they promise.

“Today we can confirm that we were not mistaken,” said the company, operating in the Kaunas FEZ territory since 2019.

Hollister in Kaunas has one of the largest divisions of the company in the world, which in the future could become a centre of excellence.

16 years after the first investor in the Kaunas FEZ, established in 2005, the customer circle has expanded to 44 companies. Although this is just the beginning of the Kaunas FEZ project, the amount of investments of companies operating in this industrial area has exceeded €1 billion. During 2018–2021 alone, the companies operating in this territory created 4,000 jobs and invested over €580 million. Since 2018, the companies operating in the Kaunas FEZ have carried out six development projects with investments amounting to €250 million. A further four projects have been planned in the coming years, which will contribute significantly to the overall indicators of attracted investments and jobs created in the Kaunas FEZ.

ROTEKSAS invests in Klaipėda FEZ, 100 jobs planned

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ROTEKSAS, a Lithuanian company that designs, manufactures and assembles industrial production lines, has leased two land plots with a total area of 3.2 hectares, and acquired manufacturing premises for bulky equipment in Klaipeda’s Free Economic Zone (FEZ). The company intends to implement an expansion project in the coming years, which will create 100 new jobs and invest in new equipment.

Thus far, the company has been operating in two production areas in the Klaipėda district near the FEZ – in Švepeliai and Daupariai towns. ROTEKSAS has so far managed about 4,000 square metres of production area. From now on, UAB Roteksas LEZ, which has acquired investor status in the FEZ, will implement production projects in an additional 5,000 sqm premises, creating 100 new jobs.

According to ROTEKSAS CEO Žygimantas Petronis, the decision to expand was dictated by rapid growth in recent years, and Klaipėda FEZ offered not only good conditions and infrastructure but also a modern manufacturing building, which suited the company’s needs almost perfectly.

“We have acquired a bulky equipment plant with large gates, powerful cranes and the infrastructure to match our needs, which will allow us to use our expertise to produce an impressive range of products, which can be easily shipped around the world via the nearby port. In the Klaipėda FEZ, we will be able to solve internal and external logistics issues very easily and quickly. We have already started work on the new plant and plan to create 100 new jobs, expand the capacity of the plant and invest in equipment over the coming years,” Ž. Petronis says.

Currently, a third of ROTEKSAS’s staff are specialists with an education in engineering – designers, craftsmen, project managers, procurement engineers and others. In addition, the manufacturing workshops are staffed by qualified welders, assemblers, locksmiths, fitters, adjusters and others. A similar employee profile is expected to be developed at the Klaipėda FEZ plant as well.

“Today’s main challenge is the doubled demand for personnel, training and integration. Due to the company’s exceptionally rapid growth and development, there is a lack of qualified staff, and so, we are constantly seeking motivated staff who are keen to improve. We are currently looking for project managers, design engineers, estimators, production accountants, process managers, craftsmen, welders, assemblers, calibrators, locksmiths, mechanics, warehouse staff, and other production and administrative staff,” the head of ROTEKSAS comments.

He also mentions that the company is confronted with commodity supply deadlines, which require constant analysis and prompt planning.

The head of Klaipėda FEZ Eimantas Kiudulas welcomes ROTEKSAS in joining the FEZ business community. According to him, thanks to favourable circumstances, Klaipėda FEZ was able to offer the new investor optimal manufacturing premises especially quickly.

“The speed of our client’s operations launch has always been a standout feature of Klaipėda FEZ. We are glad that ROTEKSAS could already begin the first real work in the newly acquired premises within just a little over a month from signing our contract. I am confident that the company will also successfully leverage the other advantages offered by our infrastructure and business community,” E. Kiudulas says.

Operating since 2007, the company specialises in industrial equipment, technological, engineering and manufacturing solutions out of stainless steel, plastic and standard equipment parts. ROTEKSAS does not reveal the investment drawn by the expansion due to confidentiality obligations.

Around 90% of ROTEKSAS’s turnover comprises exports to markets such as Norway, Japan, Switzerland, the USA, and the EU, Latin America, and Russia. In 2020, the company’s turnover reached 5.94 million euros, an increase of 58% over 2019.

Klaipėda FEZ is the longest operating and leading free economic zone in Lithuania. Forty-five companies operate across its 412-hectare territory with a combined turnover of 927 million euros in 2020 and exports of 478 million euros.

Since the launch of Klaipėda FEZ, 747 million euros have been invested in the zone, with most of this sum being a foreign direct investment. Over 100 companies and almost 6000 staff work across the territory. Klaipėda FEZ’s investors primarily specialise in PET, electrical transport and components, food industry, industrial equipment and other areas. Some of the FEZ’s companies perform manufacturing activities and develop intensive scientific, research, and innovation operations.

The Baltic FEZ Has Become a Member of the Production Innovation Valley Cluster

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After the launching of the project on the Production Innovation Valley, on 27 April 2020 the project partners Aedilis, BaltLed, Pažangios Inovacijos, Prezicika Metrology and Proftools formed an innovative production cluster under the name of the Production Innovation Valley. Its purpose is to join production organisations together into a group that aims to increase both horizontal and vertical integration of industries; to achieve, through the development and employment of digital and green technologies, a transformation into a high- and medium-technology industries; to expand production and export of products with high value added; to enable an increase in international competitiveness of both the Cluster’s members and Lithuania’s industrial sector as a whole.

As interest in the activities of the Production Innovation Valley is growing, the founders of the Cluster have decided to admit new members. Any organisation that wishes to be a part of the production innovation ecosystem is welcome. 

Marijampolės Laisvosios Ekonominės Zonos Valdymo Bendrovė UAB, a management company, is the first new member of the Cluster. Simonas Petrulis, the company’s CEO, says: ‘Our free economic zone is currently focussed on investments with a higher value added that are related to innovative biotechnology and food production industries. Both foreign and domestic businesses are equal priorities to us. It is important for us to be in a club of production innovation leaders, to get to know Lithuanian production companies – and participate in the European value chains at the same time. We believe that many successful projects will be implemented jointly with the team of the Production Innovation Valley and other businesses of the Cluster.’

Gintaras Vilda, Director of Pažangios Inovacijos UAB which acts as the coordinator of the Production Innovation Valley Cluster, expresses his satisfaction that the first new member of the Cluster is a company of the region. ‘Production innovation, in particular in the digital area, is boundless. It is quite symbolic that a Marijampolė company, which has stepped into a new stage of business and has ambitious goals to attract innovative production organisations to the region, has become a new member of the Cluster. The Production Innovation Valley is an ecosystem for any organisation of Lithuania as innovative ideas are not subject to geographic restrictions.’

A cluster is a voluntary conglomeration of businesses and/or science and academic organisations and other entities that functions according to a principle of partnership. Its members act jointly with the aim to increase value added. Areas on which members of the cluster are focused: information and communication, cooperation, training and skills improvement, innovation and technologies, common marketing, international development, and partnerships with other clusters. Objectives of cluster development include the enhancing of competitiveness by increasing the value creation efficiency, developing products with higher value added, and joining international RDI networks.

Klaipėda FEZ awarded for digitisation and red tape reduction

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Klaipėda Free Economic Zone (FEZ) has received main awards in the categories of digitisation and red tape reduction in Investment Monitor’s Economic Zone Sustainable Recovery Strategies Awards, as well as additional mentions in the fields of Industry 4.0 and positive impact on the city. The awards will be presented on Wednesday during the Barcelona New Economy Week digital conference.

Klaipėda FEZ earned the overall award in the digitisation category thanks to its constant progress toward digitising the territory while developing the model of a sustainable, smart and green industrial zone as per the general EU vision. The FEZ is currently implementing or has completed projects in spheres such as smart car parking, traffic volume monitoring, the internet of things for manufacturing, green energy and others.

The other main award was received in the category of red tape reduction, with the achievement being the result of Klaipėda FEZ, the city’s municipality and Klaipėda ID working together. The ratings made note of the “green corridor”, which was completed last year and tested in practice with the new investor REHAU. This solution allows for faster issuing of construction documents for companies that invest more than 3 million euros and create at least 20 new jobs.

The awards also recognised Klaipėda FEZ’s connection to the city and its communities – the FEZ companies’ support and volunteering in the midst of the pandemic, the joint implementation alongside the city residents of an odour monitoring project and other projects. The organisers also took note of the FEZ’s initiatives in the industry 4.0 context.

According to the head of Klaipėda FEZ Eimantas Kiudulas, this recognition from Investment Monitor is a reflection of the FEZ’s persistent strategy to focus on high and higher added value operations and sustainability.

“We sometimes forget that in small countries and communities, we can more quickly and more flexibly make forward-looking decisions, which generate long-term value. This recognition should contribute to presenting Lithuania and Klaipėda to the world as being innovative, and business and innovation-friendly. We will certainly not stop in terms of promoting innovation and the reduction of bureaucracy and, together with the Klaipėda FEZ business and the city’s academic community, we will seek to further strengthen talent development, attraction and retention,” E. Kiudulas says.

Klaipėda ID head Eglė Songailienė states that the organisation is already improving and expanding the “green corridor” programme.

“Having been tested in practice, the “green corridor” has been met with growing interest from investors and intermediaries and it will continue being improved. Our next step is the optimisation of the full construction process across related institutions at the city and national levels. We are delighted to contribute to the increasingly smooth communication between business and the public sector, and even more delighted to see the results of this smooth cooperation in terms of new investors and jobs,” E. Songailienė states.

While Vida Staskonienė, the director at the Business Development department at Invest Lithuania, says that all Lithuanian free zones contribute to both investment attraction and country’s reputation.

“We are happy for the recognition Klaipeda FEZ received, as well as a modern example the zone displays. We hope that we will further showcase Lithuania as a modern and progressive country,” V. Staskonienė says.

The Investment Monitor awards were presented in a total of eight main categories this year: digitisation, COVID relief packages, local impact, new investment, red tape reduction and sustainability and environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG).

Klaipėda FEZ is the longest operating and leading free economic zone in Lithuania. Forty-five companies operate out of the 412-hectare territory, with a combined turnover of 927 million euro in 2020, with almost 478 million euro in exports.

Since Klaipėda FEZ began operating, 747 million euros have been invested in the zone with most of this sum being foreign direct investment. Over a hundred companies and almost 6,000 employees work in the territory. Investors at Klaipėda FEZ predominantly specialise in PET, electrical transport and components, food industry, industrial equipment and other spheres. Some of the companies at Klaipėda FEZ perform not only manufacturing, but also intensive scientific, research and innovation activities.

Lavango invests in a robotics solution creator in Iceland

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Lavango, a manufacturer of equipment for the food industry operating in the Klaipėda FEZ, has completed an investment deal in Iceland by acquiring part of the shares of the industrial robotics company Samey. More than 600 fish, meat, grocery and other factories around the world are now using Samey systems.  

“We see that today, the food industry is, on the one hand, experiencing a massive upswing, while on the other hand, it also faces significant demand to automate production, reducing the number of workplaces that include health hazards, as well as reducing the physical workload employees face,” the head of Lavango Engineering LT, Jevgenij Sakovskij, says.

The team of engineers and IT specialists at Samey have exceptional experience in the domain of industrial robotisation. A key facet of theirs, according to J. Sakovskij, is the ability to harness the robots’ maximum potential, adapting it to a multitude of tasks in production. This is why the robots they build and incorporate into existing production processes are exceptionally efficient. They ensure this by programming, installing and maintaining them themselves remotely.  

“Meanwhile, we have an excellent ability to analyse production processes, and we have advanced skills in designing automated production lines for the food industry and in manufacturing these sophisticated devices, which is why we have been Samey’s technology partner for some time. The synergies are obvious, so it’s no surprise that closer cooperation is of great benefit to both of us, making us even more competitive, as we will now be able to offer our customers complete solutions at even better terms than before,” he says.  

This investment transaction represents a new phase of vertical strategic development and integration for the business group. Having previously invested in expanding production capacities and building an additional production facility in Lithuania, this is the first time that the group has invested in high-tech competencies.

“This year, we are preparing to bring one of our biggest inventions to market – it will be a novelty for the global market. I believe that by working together with Samey, we will make even more breakthroughs in the food industry. We have already planned out the transfer of know-how between teams, the pooling of competencies, and at the same time the optimisation of plant design, so our customers will feel this qualitative leap soon enough,” the head of Lavango Engineering LT says.

The Lavango business group, which is comprised of Lavango Engineering LT, Lavango Engineering BY, Lavango Ehf and CTi Process, has been manufacturing conveyors, screw systems, lifting mechanisms, robotised packing, refrigeration and thermal processing devices, as well as other equipment, for the food industry for more than 14 years.

The Lithuanian capital company, which has two manufacturing divisions in Europe, provides its solutions to twenty markets in Europe and Asia. Exports comprise 90% of its turnover. The company’s clients include such international corporations as Unilever and Mars, as well as Vičiūnai Group and many others. Lavango currently employs over 80 staff members.

Lidl opens its doors in Kaunas FEZ

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The retail chain Lidl continues its rapid development in the Kaunas region. On 23 September, Lidl opened its doors at Raudondvario pl., Ežero g. 3, and a week later, on 30 September, a new Lidl store will be opened in the Kaunas Free Economic Zone (FEZ). 

Continuing its expansion, Lidl will open another store in the Kaunas FEZ on 30 September. The new store’s working hours will be 8:00–22:00. Lidl will be the first store operating in the Kaunas FEZ, and it will complement the internal service network for employees working here as well as also being a convenient place to shop for residents of Ramučiai or surrounding settlements and for those traveling in the direction of Jonava.  

Vytautas Petružis, CEO of the Kaunas FEZ, was pleased that the expansion of Lidl will bring additional added value to all employees of the Kaunas FEZ territory.

“Lidl’s investment in the Kaunas FEZ is important for the whole territory’s community ecosystem. This is yet another German capital project and, at the same time, the expansion of the supply of services in the internal area. As the Kaunas FEZ community grows rapidly and non-stop, the implementation of the Lidl project here creates additional added value for all existing and future employees of the territory,” said Mr Petružis. 

The staff of the new store in Ramučiai will consist of about 30 employees. Lidl, which pays one of the highest average salaries in the retail market, has an average salary of all employees (according to Rekvizitai.lt as of July 2021) amounting to €1,630.92 before tax. The area of the new store’s shopping hall will be about 1,300 m2. The whole store will have 11 cash registers – five of them will be of the standard kind and six self-service cash registers will also be installed for the convenience of buyers. 

The opening of the new store in the Kaunas FEZ will take place on 30 September at 8:00. Lidl, one of the largest retail chains in Europe, currently operates in 29 countries and has more than 11,200 stores. In total, there are 58 stores of this retail chain in 23 cities of the country – Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Alytus, Marijampolė, Kėdainiai, Telšiai, Kretinga, Mažeikiai, Tauragė, Jonava, Panevėžys, Utena, Plungė, Palanga, Elektrėnai, Visaginas, Šilutė, Radviliškis, Vilkaviškis, and Druskininkai.

DPD Lietuva invests in the Šiauliai FEZ and Telšiai

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The DPD Lithuania company, which is owned by one of the largest parcel delivery networks in Europe, is set to expand its parcel distribution capacity in Lithuania. New DPD parcel distribution hubs are about to be built in the Šiauliai Free Economic Zone (FEZ) and in Telšiai adjacent to the police headquarters. The construction of the said hubs alone is set to attract investment of over EUR 4 million. They will launch in autumn 2022.

Giedrius Valuckas, the Chairman of the Board at the Šiauliai Free Economic Zone, considers DPD’s entry to be a strategic move in the process of becoming not only a significant regional industrial centre, but a logistics hub too.

“DPD will launch in the Šiauliai Free Economic Zone thanks to the cooperation among three parties: the investor, the developer and us. It is certainly very encouraging that such projects are coming to regions. We see the Šiauliai FEZ not only as an industrial, but also as a logistics hub, which integrates Šiauliai Airport and helps develop railway and road links. Therefore, DPD’s entry will result in increased synergy and serve as a basis for broadening the identity of the rapidly growing economic zone. Investment surge and the jobs to be created are critical for the growth of the region,” says Mr Valuckas.

DPD has leased a plot sized 2.8 ha in area for the construction and development of its parcel distribution infrastructure in the Šiauliai FEZ. At present, the economic zone has 20 % of its area available for investment occupied.

With the relocation of terminals to new premises in 2022, the total area of the company’s terminals will almost double, while the total number of areas designated for van and lorry loading will rise by more than 4.5 times. DPD Lithuania promises to be searching for additional labour force and is planning to create new jobs in Šiauliai and Telšiai, too.

Orion Global PET expands its solar power plant in Klaipėda FEZ

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UAB Orion Global PET, the Thai group Indorama Ventures’s PET manufacturer operating in Klaipėda FEZ, has installed and launched one of Lithuania’s first solar generator fences to generate 56 kW of power. The company already prepares for its extension. The solution was implemented in cooperation with the solar energy tech company Eternia Solar LT.

The new Orion Global PET plant will produce around 55.82 MWh of green electricity a year, thus further reducing the company’s environmental footprint.

The solar fence is comprised of 156 solar panels, which do not require special maintenance and have been installed on some of the security fence surrounding the company’s territory. The new solution supplements the 300 kW solar power station installed on Orion Global Pet’s roof back in 2019. The company’s solar power plants in Klaipėda will generate around a combined 390 MWh of green electricity a year.

The company has fully tested the new power plant under real conditions. As a result, the solution is fully proven, so Orion Global PET has already launched an extension project for the solar fence, which will be completed in the first quarter of 2022.

Orion Global PET CEO Jitendra Kumar Malik says that this investment is a continued part of the Indorama Ventures group’s sustainability strategy.

“Last year, our group committed to increasing its use of renewable energy by 10% by the year 2025 through both installing power plants on roofs and on the ground and through purchasing green energy. We take pride in our Klaipėda section contributing to this goal not only in numbers but also through an innovative solution, which will offer our group experience,” J. K. Malik says.

Indorama Ventures looks to increase its use of renewable energy by 25% by the year 2030 and, through the use of more effective processes and equipment, reduce energy consumption intensity by 5% by the year 2025.

According to the head of Eternia Solar LT Andrius Džiaugys, such solar fences are popular abroad, while Lithuanian companies are only beginning to discover them now.

“Such power systems are never standard for either clients or suppliers. Therefore, when designing them, it is necessary to evaluate the surrounding environment carefully, the solution must be safe, easily maintained, generating the maximum amount of energy possible, and, of course, able to perform the traditional functions of a security fence,” A. Džiaugys says.

According to Eimantas Kiudulas, the head of Klaipėda FEZ, Orion Global PET’s example showcases that nearly all companies have room for innovation and sustainable solutions.

“Such photovoltaic fences remain a novelty in Lithuania, and so, it is excellent that our business community member will serve as a practical example and will be able to share its experience with other interested businesses. Furthermore, as we encourage business innovation and sustainable solutions, we are also always supportive of and assist the investor community in implementing such initiatives,” E. Kiudulas says.

Other Klaipėda FEZ business community members include UAB NEO GROUP, UAB Retal Baltic Films, UAB Glassbel Baltic, UAB Vingės Logistika and other companies have solar power plants on their buildings.

EKORNES-NEW PREMISES FOR MANUFACTURING

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The Ekornes corporate group, which operates in the Panevėžys Free Economic Zone, is planning to enlarge its plant to 25 thousand square meters and employ 100 more professionals when the building works are completed. The company currently employs 200 members of staff in Panevėžys. 

Ekornes manufactures beds, sofas, chairs and other furniture of unique designs and exceptional comfort. The company launched its new plant in the Panevėžys FEZ back in 2019 as Lithuania was being then chosen, as an attractive country for expansion, by an increasing number of foreign companies thanks to convenient business infrastructure and a thoughtful logistics system enabling faster delivery of products to customers. Panevėžys offers excellently functioning supply chain, which is necessary for furniture manufacture. Thus the company enjoys favourable conditions helping it find new distribution channels across Europe.

Today, Ekornes products manufactured in Lithuania are sold in a variety of countries across the world. The company, which had started its business as a mattress manufacturer, manufactures furniture of extraordinary comfort these days. Ekornes is an international brand with presence in 48 countries. The company employs over 3,100 members of staff. The Ekornes brand has 19 sale units around the world and serves more than 4 thousand stores.

The Panevėžys LEZ is often chosen as a convenient place for investment by world-renowned brands because they find a full package of benefits required for successful expansion in a single place: staff with unique competencies and valuable work experience, developed business infrastructure and convenient access to existing and new markets. 

© LAFEZ visos teisės saugomos 2021