Sitting comfortably
Polish company Growag, based in Grodzisk Wielkopolski, is a manufacturer of railway passenger seats and shock absorbers. In 2017, it celebrated its 45th anniversary. Mr Marek Stein, Growag’s president of the board, talks to Dariusz Balcerzyk about how the company has developed during these years, where it is now and where it will be in the future.
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rowag was founded in 1972. From the very outset, it has been manufacturing passenger seats for railway cars and shock absorbers for railway car bogies, and special appliances, as well as providing a wide range of services for the railway and other industries. The company has seen dynamic development in the last few years. “Nowadays we are proud to be a respected player in the railway market in Poland and abroad. Our efforts and even sacrifices contributed to creating a modern enterprise that has earned the trust of its customers, to whom we can offer products of highest quality,” says Mr Stein. Today, Growag employs more than 120 people. All production is carried out in its Grodzisk Wielkopolski factory, which is in western Poland, some 20 minutes away by car from the A2 highway to Germany. In recent years, the company has experienced significant annual growth: production volumes were up by 29 per cent in 2017 compared to 2016. Exports are a very important part of Growag’s total sales, with the Czech Republic, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Hungary, Romania, Italy and Ukraine its main foreign markets.
126 Industry Europe
“Actually, we are just building our strong position on foreign markets, especially in western Europe. The main problem we face with exports does not lie in the quality of our products, which is very high, but in how to convince customers from western Europe to establish cooperation with a company from Poland, since they are used to cooperating with large, global companies. Therefore, we must work much harder than our competition – and we do. Our plan is to increase the share of the exports in the next few years by up to 50 per cent of our total sales; by 2021–2023 we intend to be one of the leading European producers of railway seats,” points out Mr Stein. “Growag is a leading supplier of passenger seats and shock absorbers, meeting the strictest quality standards for high technology products and services. We hold an ISO 9001:2015 certificate and successfully implemented the requirements of PN-EN 15085-2:2007 standard, level CL1, which is an excellent proof of the skills and unique performance of our specialists. In 2015 we also received the Quality of the Year award in the product category for our Xeon seats. In 2013 Growag was certified by IRIS.”
