{"id":4316,"date":"2026-07-16T11:28:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T09:28:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazyn-ambasador.pl\/?p=4316"},"modified":"2026-07-17T09:55:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T07:55:38","slug":"continents-how-polish-companies-can-seize-a-historic-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazyn-ambasador.pl\/en\/continents-how-polish-companies-can-seize-a-historic-opportunity\/","title":{"rendered":"Continents: How Polish Companies Can Seize a Historic Opportunity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Interview with Alan Rdest, Head of International Development at Elkat and founder of the Revole project<\/em><\/p>\n

Elkat is a Polish family-owned manufacturer based in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, specialising in insulated busbars and distribution blocks for low-voltage switchboards. For more than twenty years, the company has carried out its entire manufacturing process under one roof \u2013 from copper processing and plastic moulding to final assembly. Today, Elkat’s products are supplied to customers in more than 22 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Alan Rdest, Bussines Dev. Manager<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Elkat started as a small family business in Grodzisk Mazowiecki. Today it exports to more than twenty-two countries and competes with the world’s leading electrical manufacturers. How did this journey begin?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It all started with my father, Janusz Rdest. More than twenty years ago, he spotted an opportunity that most people had overlooked \u2013 there was no domestic production of insulated busbars in Poland. The market relied entirely on imports, and he was convinced that this gap was worth pursuing. Our first production facility was built right next to our family home in Grodzisk Mazowiecki. We constructed it ourselves, literally from the foundations to the roof. It was a true family business in every sense of the word.<\/p>\n

The turning point came when we developed our own innovative product \u2013 an insulated busbar with a cross-section of 12 mm2<\/sup>. At the time, no manufacturer anywhere in the world offered such a solution. Today, this product has become the market standard in Poland and is increasingly being adopted abroad. Our story shows that industrial success does not always begin with large-scale investment. Sometimes it starts with a single observation, one innovative product and the determination to refine it consistently over many years.<\/p>\n

Elkat is also an example of successful business succession. How has the transfer of responsibility between generations taken place?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is a process that is still ongoing. Like many Polish family businesses founded in the 1990s, we are currently making the transition from a local company into a genuinely global enterprise. Before joining the family business, I gained experience in international sales and business development in the electrical industry, working with customers across multiple markets and in several languages. When I returned to Elkat, I was able to combine that commercial expertise with the technical knowledge I had grown up with.<\/p>\n

That is the real strength of succession. The first generation builds manufacturing expertise and engineering capability. The second generation brings international market knowledge, modern management methods, marketing expertise and a global perspective. When these strengths complement one another, they create an exceptionally resilient organisation.<\/p>\n

The electrical industry is dominated by multinational corporations. How can a Polish family business successfully compete with global players?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Paradoxically, because the world has changed. For many years, Western manufacturers shifted production outside Europe, which led to longer supply chains, quality challenges and growing uncertainty. Today, customers are increasingly looking for manufacturers who genuinely make what they sell, rather than simply managing outsourced production.<\/p>\n

At Elkat, every stage of manufacturing takes place in one location \u2013 from copper processing and plastic moulding to final assembly. This is no longer just a matter of economic patriotism.<\/p>\n

It is about reliability, quality and supply-chain security. In many market segments, these factors have become more important than price alone.<\/p>\n

Are you already seeing the effects of reshoring and the return of manufacturing to Europe?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Absolutely. A few years ago, customers rarely asked where our products were manufactured. Today, it is often one of the first questions they put to us. European buyers increasingly want to know whether products are genuinely made in Europe or simply labelled there. This shift is a direct consequence of the pandemic, disruption to global logistics and geopolitical instability.<\/p>\n

I believe Poland is currently experiencing a unique moment in its economic history. We have thousands of highly capable manufacturing companies whose technological expertise has been built up over decades. Manufacturing itself is not our weakness. The real challenge is international visibility, export capability and global commercial expertise. At the same time, this represents an extraordinary opportunity for the entire Polish economy.<\/p>\n

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important competitive factor. How does it influence industrial companies today?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sustainability is no longer an optional part of corporate strategy. It has become a prerequisite for taking part in many procurement processes. Our new production facility was designed with environmental efficiency as a priority. We recycle 99.1% of our production waste, recovering roughly 130 tonnes of materials a year. Between 2022 and 2023, we cut our CO\u2082 emissions by 45 tonnes per year. The facility was developed in cooperation with Norwegian partners under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism, giving us access to some of Europe’s highest standards of environmental performance.<\/p>\n

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Most importantly, customers now expect measurable data. A growing number of tenders require ESG documentation before they will even look at a product’s technical specifications. Companies that cannot provide such information are often ruled out before the technical assessment has even begun. In practice, environmental investment has become investment in market access.<\/p>\n

Your next expansion targets include Latin America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Where do you see the greatest opportunities?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Each of these regions offers significant potential, but each requires a different approach. The greatest challenge today is not selling the product itself. It lies in understanding technical standards and certification requirements, and in finding trustworthy local partners. You may have an outstanding product, but without an understanding of local regulations and the local business culture, lasting success is difficult to achieve. That is why I see international expansion primarily as relationship-building, rather than simply adding more countries to a map. In international business, trust remains the most valuable currency.<\/p>\n

Our first markets outside Europe included Dubai, Israel, Singapore, Egypt and Libya, where our distributors compete successfully with global brands. At the same time, we are currently developing projects in South Africa, Australia, South America and the United States. We are preparing new production lines capable of adapting our products to different international standards, including the American NEMA system, Brazil’s INMETRO requirements and Australia’s AS\/NZS standards. A company must be technically prepared before it can succeed commercially.<\/p>\n

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What role can embassies and export support institutions play in this process?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A very significant one. Today, we export to more than 22 countries. For companies entering new markets, embassies can become one of the most valuable sources of market intelligence and business contacts. Their greatest value, however, lies in connecting people \u2013 arranging B2B meetings, identifying reliable business partners and opening doors that individual companies would struggle to open on their own. Polish manufacturers often make world-class products but need support in reaching the right international buyers. This is precisely where economic diplomacy can make a substantial difference.<\/p>\n

These experiences led to the creation of the Revole project. What is its mission?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Revole grew out of the conviction that Poland’s export potential is significantly greater than its current international recognition suggests. Over the years, we have worked closely with both Polish manufacturers and international buyers, observing the same challenge from both sides. Polish companies struggled to reach foreign customers, while international buyers often had no reliable way of finding verified manufacturers in Poland. Our ambition is to build a bridge between these two worlds.<\/p>\n

Revole is not about selling individual products. It is about building trust in Polish manufacturing and making it easier for companies around the world to establish meaningful business relationships. If someone is looking for a reliable manufacturer in the electrical industry \u2013 with verified production processes, internationally recognised certifications and European quality standards \u2013 they should have one trusted place where their search can begin. Poland has a unique opportunity to become one of Europe’s leading manufacturing hubs. It is an opportunity that should be embraced collectively.<\/p>\n

We invite companies, partners and organisations interested in international cooperation to get in touch with us.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alan Rdest
\n<\/strong>Business Dev. Manager
\nElkat Sp. z o. o. Sp.k.
\nMob. + 48573912 600<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Interview with Alan Rdest, Head of International Development at Elkat and founder of the Revole project Elkat is a Polish family-owned manufacturer based in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, specialising in insulated busbars and distribution blocks for low-voltage switchboards. For more than twenty years, the company has carried out its entire manufacturing process under one roof \u2013 from copper processing and plastic moulding to final assembly. Today, Elkat’s products are supplied to customers in more than 22 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Elkat started as a small family business in Grodzisk Mazowiecki. Today it exports to more than twenty-two countries<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4302,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-presentation-of-entrepreneurs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazyn-ambasador.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazyn-ambasador.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazyn-ambasador.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazyn-ambasador.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazyn-ambasador.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4316"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/magazyn-ambasador.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4381,"href":"https:\/\/magazyn-ambasador.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4316\/revisions\/4381"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazyn-ambasador.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazyn-ambasador.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazyn-ambasador.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazyn-ambasador.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}