Poland’s largest rail vehicle manufacturer, PESA Bydgoszcz SA, has officially finalised the acquisition of all shares of German tram manufacturer HeiterBlick GmbH.
The acquisition will see the creation of a new European train hub, which will endeavour to offer new urban rail vehicles to carriers across Europe, as well as strengthen PESA’s overall presence in Germany through the expansion of operations.
PESA Bydgoszcz has acquires all shares of HeiterBlick
© Polish Development Fund (PFR)
Carried out in the spirit of the Team Poland initiative, which assumes close cooperation between key Polish development institutions for the internal expansion of domestic enterprises, the acquisition will act as a precursor to the implementation of PESA’s newly adopted Strategy 2030+.
The company was itself recently acquired by the Polish Development Fund (PFR), and has undergone a significant restructuring effort.
PESA’s acquisition of HeiterBlick GmbH has been made possible with financial backing from a consortium of over 20 Polish and foreign financial institutions, including state-owned development bank BGK and the Export Credit Insurance Corporation (KUKE). In total, up to 6.8 billion PLN has been pledged to be granted to PESA in order to advance its future targets, enable a doubling of production capacity and allow for the securement of a record order portfolio of more than 15 billion PLN.
The funding also lays the groundwork for the company’s further international expansion, including the acquisition of assets such as HeiterBlick.
Minister of Finance and Economy Andrzej Domański said:
The acquisition of a German company by a Polish manufacturer perfectly reflects the work of the Team Poland initiative – a modern model of cooperation between the state and business, which allows our companies to conquer key markets and build leadership positions in their industries.
PESA’s international expansion, supported by Polish development institutions, is doubly encouraging: it strengthens the competitiveness and innovation of the Polish economy and reinforces Poland’s image as a country capable of creating and exporting advanced technologies.
This transaction is an excellent example of economic diplomacy in practice – it demonstrates that by playing as a team, as Team Poland, we can operate on a European scale.