Winners poLand

The winners of the Poland awards are:

Cersanit S.A.
Growth

Cersanit S.A. Cersanit is the third largest ceramic tiles producer in Poland and a significant player on the bathroom furniture and ceramics market. Having only launched its activities in ceramic tiles 2001, it was able to corner 16% of the market share by 2003.The company was able to expand its product portfolio from sanitation ceramics to offering a full range of bathroom equipment and has opened two new plants to handle these changes. It also plans to build a plant in Russia or Ukraine in the coming months. Gross margin in 2004 amounted to 23%, which was significantly higher than competitor´s results. Cersanit has been in the group of WIG 20 companies since February 2005.

Amica Wronki S.A
Value Creation

Amica S.A. is the biggest producer of household appliances in Poland. The company has built its position on the EU market - primarily in Germany and in Scandinavian countries - with its PREMIERE an GRAM brands. It pursued a rigorous internationalization strategy, penetrating foreign markets and establishing or acquiring local companies, while maintaining close cooperation with domestic suppliers. Exports make up 40% of its overall turnover. Its most important investment as part of its export strategy was the acquisition of the household refrigerator department of Gram Domestic in Denmark, giving the company rights to a popular brand and access to new distribution channels.

Comarch S.A.
Innovation

Conmarch S.A. is a leader in developing software for the telecommunications industry (billing and telecommunication management systems). It has a very well developed R&D program, based on a dual approach of short-term research financed by the company's own resources and long-term research focused on developing new products and services, financed through EU grants. More than 500 of Comarch's employees work on R&D. The company is especially strong in attracting young talents from Poland but also from Germany, Slovakia and Ukraine and cooperates closely with the University of Technology in Lw ó w. In addition to its R&D center in Warsaw, it plans to open three more such facilities in Poland and is set to create additional competence centers in Bremen and Flanders in 2006.

Grupa Maspex Wadowice
New Europe Strategies

Maspex is the biggest producer of instant goods (cappuccino coffee, chocolate, coffee cream) in Central and Eastern Europe. In 2004 the company realized large acquisitions, buying upWalmark, the leading juice producer in Czech Rep. and Slovakia and Olympos, the number two in the juice market in Hungary. It also maintains production plants in Romania and the Kaliningrad region. Although it has a production plant in Germany, Central and Eastern Europe is the company's focus in large part because of its high growth potential. The management is currently considering greater investments into building its brand in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.