GreenEvo is a project created by the Ministry of the Environment, owing to which Polish entrepreneurs from the branch of green technologies have a unique chance for development and export of their technological solutions on foreign markets. In September, GreenEvo winners visited international exhibition EXPO 2010 in Shanghai and Entech Pollutec fair in Bangkok. In Shanghai, the following companies presented their technologies: Promar from Bydgoszcz, Wofil from Krynica Zdrój, Biogradex from Elbląg, PP-Eko from Warsaw, Neon from Poczesna, Energoinstal from Katowice, Lediko from Wrocław, Ecotech from Łomianki and Asket from Poznań.
Representatives of companies Wofil, Ecotech, Neon, PP-Eko and Lediko went to Thailand for Entech Pollutec fair.
All the winners who took part in economic missions, emphasize both large interest of Asian clients in Polish green technologies and enormous potential of local markets.
Wofil, a company from Krynica Zdrój developed ecological water treatment technologies in ozonisation technology without the need to use synthetic chemical substances, which raised interest of clients from both China and Thailand. Aneta Klimek from Wofil emphasizes: “Owing to the fact that we were acting “under the wings” of the Polish government, potential clients and contractors had greater confidence in our company, which really facilitated discussions on possible cooperation in the future.” Technology of Wofil interested several companies, which have already received technical presentations. “Our solutions form a breakthrough in using ozone in the world. Installations have independent technological lines, multi-block ozone generators with a possibility of their expansion, equipped in unique ozone-blow system. The solutions of our company have an advantage over the technologies existing in those markets because they are comprehensive, they offer a possibility of continuous monitoring of all processes via Internet, regardless of the localization of installation”, explains Aneta Klimek.
Participation in the Asian fairs gave satisfaction also to the representatives of Ecotech Polska, the owner of a unique technology for disposal and recycling of hazardous and toxic waste: “The fact that currently, their attitude towards natural environment is changing dramatically, provides a chance for the development of our technologies on Asian markets. Especially in China, after many years of not paying attention to regulations concerning waste disposal, today – practically every investor is expected to give guarantees of respecting environment and investing in its protection technologies”, explains Marek Bukała, the owner of Ecotech Polska. After the first visit in May in Shanghai, the company has its agent for the Chinese market, which really facilitates establishing contacts: “Many business partners from China do not speak English. The activities by proxy of an agent enable us to bypass language barriers, which has a positive effect on the number of incoming queries and cooperation offers, as well as on a more detailed analysis of the market. It is possible that we will establish cooperation with a company handling large government contracts, which in China means a really big business”, explains Marek Bukała.
Representatives of PP-EKO, a company producing, among others, advanced technologies for water recovery from industrial waste, consider foreign visits as fruitful: “We gained several interesting contacts in Shanghai and our visit in Bangkok resulted in the opportunity to gain partners also in India, where we are going in October-November. Owing to cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment, we are looking forward to benefit from the support of Polish embassies and consulates, which facilitates talks with potential customers and participation in tenders organized by them”, explains Wojciech Pietraszek, President of the Board of PP-EKO Sp. z o.o.
Promising foreign contacts were established also by a company from Wrocław, LEDIKO: “Owing to our presence at Expo in Shanghai and Pollutec fair in Bangkok, we received several contacts and many queries, to which we are responding on an ongoing basis. Our product, owing to which we became a winner of GreenEvo – energy-saving LED street lamps Cleveo, attracted the interest of contractors from Philippines or Saudi Arabia”, says Piotr Walendowski, representative of the company. He praises organizational and diplomatic support granted by the Ministry to the GreenEvo winners: “The fact that it is possible, through representatives of Polish diplomacy, to pre-verify whether potential contractor has an established position and is reliable, reduces risk, which is an inherent element while entering on new markets”, adds Walendowski. The GreenEvo winner from Wrocław is also considering the use of services of DSKH consulting company, which examines export possibilities for technological solutions on individual Asian markets and advises on the creation of on-site representative offices or subsidiaries. Meanwhile, soon LEDIKO is attending, together with Minister Andrzej Kraszewski, a seminar dedicated to green technologies, which will be held in Helsinki. “Although the possibility of conquering Asian markets is an important chance for us, our technologies are primarily dedicated to markets in Western Europe and Scandinavia”, emphasizes Piotr Walendowski.
A great interest and positive surprise were waiting for BIOMASSER® technology for processing wet organic biomass on ecological briquette, developed by ASKET, a company from Poznań, on the Chinese market. “Our technology is extremely economical and simple, and still it allows for using raw materials available in every rural area, anywhere in the world”, explains Roman Długi, CEO of the company. “In short words, it allows for converting agricultural residues on “Golden Coal”, which is durable, ecological and provides a source for renewable energy. At the same time, it can be a source of great savings, as well as profits for inhabitants of rural areas all over the world, which are often poorer and more affected by unemployment than urban areas”, says Roman Długi. “Participation in GreenEvo and support from the Ministry of the Environment means really a lot to us. Owing to them, we have a chance to access the possibility of presenting our technologies at the international forum. Support of commercial counselors in Polish embassies and consulates is also invaluable”, he adds.
Neon, a company from Poczesna, producer of Nosol 250 solar collector, confirms positive effects of its visit in China and Thailand: “From business point of view, the trip was very interesting. We managed to establish contacts with companies Shanghai Co-Way International Technology Transfer Center Co., Ltd and Shanghai Technology Innovation Center, which are working in the business of, among other, promotion and transfer of innovative technologies, both foreign and Chinese. Due to the Chinese market of solar collectors’ production being very large, we see ourselves there rather as a provider of basic components and accessories for our technology”, says Jacek Płoszaj of Neon. “It is undisputable that the support of Polish government representatives during such a trip affected the character and quality of talks conducted with potential contractors to a very high degree. Each time, Neon company will benefit from this type of support on the occasion of trips within the GreenEvo project because it opens incomparably wider the doors in economic partnership and in business”, he adds.
The representatives of Energoinstal from Katowice are also pleased with participation in EXPO fair in Shanghai: “Our system of energetic use of production waste gas raised interest of Shanghai Express consortium, to which we have already sent additional information and a detailed presentation of our technology”, explains General Designer of Energoinstal S.A., Jan Widera. “The Chinese have a wide perspective over the issues related to ecology. They know that in order to cooperate with Europe, they will soon have to introduce solutions and legal standards concerning the limits for pollutant gas and particulate matter discharged into the atmosphere in their country. Therefore, emission reduction technologies arouse their interest, which creates great opportunity for our company”, adds Widera.
In Shanghai, Biogradex from Elbląg presented its product – a sewage treatment technology by means of activated sludge. “We already know the local market due to the fact that our technology was implemented in one of the Chinese sewage treatment plants. Owing to presence at EXPO, we gained other interesting contacts. We received queries from, among others, Hong Kong and South Korea”, says Andrzej Nazar, representative of Biogradex. “This year, we already took part in the international specialized fair for sewage treatment IFAT in Munich and IFAT in Shanghai, China. We are conducting first talks on the use of our technology with companies from Greece, Latvia and Brazil. Of course, the possibility of distinction with GreenEvo brand for our technology and with the authority of the Ministry of the Environment is a strong card in negotiation talks and is an important support for us”, adds Andrzej Nazar.
“Chinese energy giant Shanghai Electrics is the most important of the companies, which were interested by the system of remote monitoring and control of media consumption in buildings, offered by PROMAR” said Ryszard Marciniak, President of PROMAR, in an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza Bydgoszcz. The Chinese company is planning to enter the Polish market, therefore its representatives, at the invitation of the Ministry of the Environment, will come to our country already in November. “We hope that then we will be able to determine details of cooperation with Shanghai Electrics. We are still waiting for further feedback from other dozens of companies, which were interested in our system”, explains Marciniak. Hope for joint business exists, as the Chinese were very surprised with the technology promoted by the company from Bydgoszcz. “They have never heard of such a solution, it was a total novelty for them. Let us hope that the universality of our system and the opportunities it offers, encouraged them to such a degree that our cooperation will receive a definite dimension”, he adds.
Visit of GreenEvo winners in Shanghai and Bangkok was the third event organized within the project of the Ministry of the Environment in the third phase of its implementation, dedicated to the presentation of the offer by the best Polish green technologies on the markets which are most promising for Poland. The winners of the competition underwent comprehensive training, during which the leading GreenEvo companies were selected. Polish eco-innovators, backed by tools of the project (among others, expert reports on foreign markets) have a possibility of transferring the technologies developed by them abroad.
On 30th September, during a ceremonial gala, which will be the culmination of the project’s final phase, the winners will receive GreenEvo – Green Technology Accelerator statuettes from the Minister of the Environment.
More information about the winners of the GreenEvo project can be found at the website www.greenevo.gov.pl