Bielsko Technology Park of Aviation, Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Name: Bielsko Technology Park of Aviation, Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Type of park: Technology Park

Managed by: Bielski Park Technologiczny Lotnictwa, Przedsiębiorczości i Innowacji Sp. z o.o.

Sector profile

• Type of park: technology park
• Development stage: developed
• SEZ (special economic zone) status: No

INTRODUCTION

Bielski Park Technologiczny Lotnictwa, Przedsiębiorczości i Innowacji is the manager of the project called "Aviation Industry Technology Park: Innovation, Cooperation, Development". The project is co-funded by the Operational Programme 'Increasing Economic Competitiveness and Innovation by Strengthening Business Environment Institutions", Measure 1.3: creating favourable conditions for business development. The technology park is located on a slag heap form the mining operations of the Brzeszcze-Silesia Ruch II coal mine in the village of Kaniów, Poland. Initially, the project involved the participation of the local government represented by the District of Bielsko-Biała. At present, it is almost entirely owned by private investors.

The runway, hangars and production halls (written by BPTL)

The “Aviation Industry Technology Park: Innovation, Cooperation, Development” project was completed in record time, i.e. 18 months from signing a contract with Agencja Rozwoju Przemysłu S.A. (Industrial Development Agency) in Warsaw. The location was an area of post-industrial land restored to make it useful for business purposes. The construction of the Park was completed on 30 June 2008. On 11 September 2008, the 'Aviation Industry Technology Park in Kaniów was officially opened with a formal ceremony.

The project involved the construction of infrastructure necessary for the development of business operations in the aviation industry. The infrastructure includes modern production halls and hangars offering more than 10,000 sq. m, a 700-metre-long tarmac runway, taxiways, parking areas, aircraft parking stands, a fuelling station offering JE A1 and AVGAS fuel, as well as a flight control building with offices and a professionally equipped conference room.

REGISTRATION DETAILS­:

LEGAL REPRESENTATION

SHARE CAPITAL OF THE COMPANY / SHAREHOLDERS

LOCATION

The Aviation Industry Technology Park in Kaniów is located ideally with easy access, near National Road 1, which connects the south of Poland with the coastal areas in the north, and close to the A4 motorway running from the west to the east of Poland. The industrial region of Silesia, with its industrial and academic potential, provides valuable resources for the operation of the park.

The Park is located about 80 km away from Kraków, 50 km away from Katowice, 20 km away from Bielsko-Biała and 40 km away from the southern border of Poland.

Other advantages of its location for potential investors include the proximity of the airports in Pyrzowice, Kraków and Ostrava.

FACILITIES AND LAND FOR BUSINESS USE

The Technology Park continues to expand the scope of its operations by investing in projects to develop and improve its aerodrome infrastructure and to provide additional space for production and storage activities. The latter includes the construction of office and production buildings, as well the reclamation of land for business use and the connection of utilities to such land. In the preparation of land for commercial use, the park works closely with local government authorities, which see the Park's activities as an important impulse to the economic development of the local community. The park's investment projects are financed with both proceeds from its regular operations, which includes the sale of its premises for commercial use, and with EU funds.

Phase 1 facilities (2007-2008)

In 2007-2008, the Bielsko Technology Park of Aviation, Entrepreneurship and Innovation built, in addition to the aerodrome part, four halls for production, commercial (incl. services), training, R&D and experimental activities. The total amount invested in Phase 1 exceeded PLN 30m, which included approx. PLN 7.0m in funds provided by the investors and PLN 22.8m in EU support.

HALLS AND HANGARS (Phase 1)

The Park provided four thermally insulated production halls of 2,560 sq. m each, with offices and workplace welfare facilities, for lease by business entities. As the halls were constructed using the Borga building system, they have no interior support columns and, therefore, offer great potential for adaptation to the needs of tenants. Each of the four halls is equipped with separate utility meters, as well as separate sewage removal, heating and ventilation systems.

Each hall has an access road and entrance gates on both sides.

• The area of the tarmac roads and manoeuvring areas is 13,057 sq. m.
• The area of the car park available on the premises is 510 sq. m.
• The ICAO airport code (location indicator) is EPKW.
• There are four halls for use as hangars and/or production premises.

• Halls for use as hangars and/or production premises (written by BPTL)

  The usable floor area of each of the halls is 2,5680 sq. m. This includes:
  • a production part of 1,868 sq. m,
  • a hangar part of 628 sq. m,
  • offices and workplace welfare facilities (64.8 sq. m.),
  • Cubic capacity: 17.6 thousand CBM
  • Each hall is a steel beam, long-span structure.
  • The width of the frame is 36 metres.
  • The effective height of the hall is 5 metres.
  • The ridge height is 7.9 metres.
  • The spacing of the load-bearing frames is 6 metres.
  • The foundation of the hall is two reinforced concrete footing strips of 0.6 metres in height and 2.5 metres in width, with reinforced concrete tie rods of 0.3 m and 0.6 metres in diameter, and an B20 reinforced concrete floor slab of 0.2 metres in thickness.
  • Each hall has a sliding door of 4.5 metres in height and 13.5 metres in width mounted in the hall's gable wall; in one of the halls, the door is 16 metres wide.
  • There are internal doors between the assembly part and the hangar part of the hall.
  • Each hall has three 1-metre-wide technical doors, including one leading to the area with offices and staff welfare facilities.
  • There are two windows to let daylight in the area with staff welfare facilities.
  • The roof and walls are covered with steel metal sheets, with internal thermal insulation based on a 15-cm-thick layer of mineral wool.
  • Each hall has a polycarbonate ridge-skylight of 3 metres in width and 72 metres in length.

  • Halls for use as hangars and/or production premises (written by BPTL)

    Halls for use as hangars and/or production premises (written by BPTL)
  • Power supply is based on 15Kv cables.
  • They are YAKY 4x120 underground cables run from 400/230 v RGN switchgear.
  • Central heating is based on fan air heaters.
  • The heating system in the areas with staff welfare facilities is based on radiators.
  • The walls and the roof have a fire resistance class of E1 60.
  • There is a fire alarm system based on 20 (DIO) isotopic smoke detectors and 20 (DOR) optical smoke detectors in each hall.
  • The detection of smoke is indicated by a light and sound alarm in the control unit installed in the flight control building. There are 4 fire hydrants inside the falls and 6 hydrants around the halls.

Currently, all the halls are fully occupied by companies operating mainly in the automotive and aviation parts sectors. Two of the halls are owned by their users.

The flight control building (written by BPTL)

THE FLIGHT CONTROL BUILDING

• The building has two storeys for offices and administrative functions.
• It has a superstructure on top of the second storey, for flight control purposes.
• The ground floor is used for a boiler room.
• The floor area of the office and admin part of the building is 393.1 sq. m.
• Cubic capacity: 1,824 thousand CBM
• Power supply is based on 15Kv cables.
• They are YAKY 4x120 underground cables run from 400/230 v RGN switchgear.

THE RUNWAY

The runway, hangars and production halls (written by BPTL)

• The runway is 700 metres in length and 24 metres in width.
• It has a tarmac and concrete surface made of two layers of bituminous concrete and sublayers of mechanically compacted aggregate.
• The longitudinal slope ranges from 0.3% to 0.7%.
• The runway is a two-slope structure, with slopes of 1.5% and 2%. It is a KR1 traffic load category runway.
• Navigation lights along the runway are provided for landing from both directions.

THE FUELLING STATION

• There are two ARU 200 STM fuel dispensers.
• Fuel types: JET A1 and AvGAS.
• The fuelling station yard has an area of 330 sq. m and a watertight surface of paving bricks.
• It is a KR1 traffic load category yard.

OTHER TECHNICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

• Water is supplied from an external network.
• Sewage is removed into an AWAS MBA 35 water treatment facility installed on the premises.
• Stormwater drainage is provided.
• An IC A 110 aviation radio with the necessary equipment is provided in the flight control building.
• The premises are fenced with mesh. The fence is 2,050 metres long and 1.6 metres tall.

Phase II facilities

In 2013, the Bielsko Technology Park completed another investment project, the Technology Transfer Centre. It offers space rental for manufacturing, laboratory and office use, providing conditions for the provision of services. The value of the project exceeded 8.2m, which included the company's own funds of PLN 3.5m and PLN 4.7m in EU support.

The Technology Transfer Centre building (written by BPTL)

The Technology Transfer Centre is a two-storey building with the following characteristics:

• Footprint area: 2,234.54 sq. m
• Usable floor area: 2,755.82 sq. m.
• Cubic capacity: 18,546 CBM

Facilities:

• Parking spaces provided
• A 24-hour security service

The building offers quality leasable space for the following purposes:

• offices
• laboratory testing (I)
• engineering and design, industrial designing (II)
• production and experimental activities (III)

The Technology Transfer Centre building: the office part (written by BPTL)

The building will be supplied with the necessary specialist equipment for the provision of training and advisory services to small and medium-sized enterprises in industrial design based on innovative composite structure technologies.

Currently, the Park offers premises for services in the centre of Czechowice-Dziedzice. It is a thoroughly modernised three-storey building with a cellar, intended for offices and services, offering a usable floor area of 1,281.6 sq. m, with each storey offering a usable floor area of 314-320.5 sq. m.

Details of the modernised part of the building are as follows:

• height: 10.56 m
• Footprint area: 395 sq. m
• Usable floor area: 1.281,6 sq. m
• Total area: 1,580 sq. m
• Cubic capacity: 4,680 CBM
  
  

The Services Building and the Technology Transfer Centre (written by BPTL)

In addition of its office facilities, the park has approx. 5 hectares of rehabilitated land with services connected, intended for the development of new industrial facilities.

Currently, the land adjacent to the technology park offers sufficient space for 20-30 thousand sq. m of manufacturing and storage buildings. The area is suitable for developing virtually any kind of business.

Investing activities

Another major part of the park's business is investing activities.

The park has funds for investing activities as part Measure 3.1 of the Innovative Economy Operational Programme, of PLN 17.4m from two competitions, including PLN 8.35m in funds already expended on investment projects (i.e. projects as part of the first, 2010-2011 competition).

The project co-funded under the IE OP 3.1 aims to create conditions for the financing of projects that involve developing new products and services. The project aims to identify, examine and implement the most interesting innovative projects that make use of the results of scientific research and business ideas.

Related entities

For procedural reasons, some of the park's business activities are carried out by companies with capital and/or personal ties with the park. This applies particularly to the projects carried out in the park and its immediate neighbourhood.

The main such projects include:

• two storage and exhibition halls, which are movable arched structures made of steel metal sheets, with a footprint area of approx. 1,300 sq. m and a maximum height of 10 metres;
• two photovoltaic systems of 100 kW each.

The estimated total value of such park infrastructure projects carried out by such related companies is PLN 4.4m, which is the amount of expenditure.

If an investor decides to make an investment in BPTLPiL (Bielsko Technology Park of Aviation, Entrepreneurship and Innovation), these projects may be transferred to the company to simplify the business structure.

Activities complementary to the BPTLPiI (Bielsko Technology Park of Aviation, Entrepreneurship and Innovation) project

Śląskie Centrum Naukowo- Technologicznego Przemysłu Lotniczego Sp. z o.o.

The Silesian Science and Technology Centre of Aviation Industry, with a testing laboratory, is one of Europe's most innovative centres for the manufacturing of composite structures using autoclaves. Launched in 2012, the centre focuses on providing services to the aviation industry, which requires the implementation of very high standards in all areas of its activity. It is also the centre's objective to implement aviation technologies in other sectors such as the yacht industry, automotive, railways and wind energy, wherever it is necessary to make use of lightweight and durable materials to ensure safety for users.

Another important objective for the centre is to help Polish companies expand their production by making their activities more innovative and productive. For this purpose, the centre offers top-quality equipment for composite material testing. It will also serve as a training centre for academics and students from all parts of Poland.

Other projects that may be carried out in the park include:

• ORKA Project, involving the design of a two-engine lightweight aeroplane certified by Margański & Mysłowski Aircraft Company. ORKA aircraft can be manufactured in one of the halls available on the premises of the BPTLPiI.
• The Aviation Training Centre in Kaniów for professional and general aviation, based on cooperation with the public and private sectors.

The situation today and prospects for development

The park is currently engaged in the following activities:

• lease of production and storage space,
• administration of external facilities on the premises of the park,
• land rehabilitation and connection of services to land for industrial use,
• aerodrome activities, including the sale of aviation fuel, which is currently the main source of income for the company,
• investing activities (financing innovative activities) as part of Measure 3.1 of the Innovative Economy Operational Programme.

Although it continues to invest, the company can use its efficient organisation to expand the scale of its activity considerably without increasing its operating costs significantly. This should help the park improve its financial performance.

The park's objectives for the future include expanding its leasable space for production and storage purposes, connecting services to new land for business use on a regular basis and developing new aviation-related services: training services, transport services, parachuting sports, plus the idea of building a key training centre, as well as the servicing and maintenance of drones.

Apart from building halls for the park's purposes, the company offers interested investors the construction of facilities to their specifications.

Other major projects planned by the park for the future include creating conditions that will encourage a global general aviation aircraft maker to locate its production plant in the park, which is expected to strengthen the park's market position significantly.

The rehabilitated land in the immediate vicinity of the park, to be used for industrial activities and for which transport / access infrastructure is to be provided through financing extended by the local government, covers approx. 20 hectares, of which between 12 and 13 hectares is to be used for commercial projects.

Other projects that the Bielsko Technology Park of Aviation, Entrepreneurship and Innovation is planning include:

• extending the runway by approx. 400 metres to 1,100 metres;
• expanding the landing area significantly to provide conditions for gliders, parachute jumpers and helicopters;
• making the runway suitable for 24-hour operation all the year round, by installing GPS systems for controlling take-off and landing operations (this project is under consultation);
• attracting new innovative companies to the park.

All the advantages outlined above are indicative of the park's great potential. We believe that our long-term regional development project offers growth potential and is worth considering in terms of investment.

There are 14 companies based within the Bielsko Technology Park. These include:

• OMG Poland Sp. z o.o., which offers machining items such as cylinder heads, cylinder blocks, oil pans, gearboxes, and the service of assembling mechanical parts and multiple-material products.
• Galfa OT Polska Sp. z o.o., a supplier of anti-corrosion coating products and pre-applied coating products.
• Helvoet Polska Sp. z o.o., the global leader in the manufacture of thermoset precision parts using injection moulding.
• Frezstal Sp. z o.o., specialsing in the manufacture of gears and cone assemblies, shafts, moving parts and gearboxes by machining.
• Margański & Mysłowski S.A. Aircraft Company, a manufacturer of MD-1 Fox gliders and EM-11 C Orka aircraft.

CONTACT DETAILS:

Bielski Park Technologiczny Lotnictwa, Przedsiębiorczości i Innowacji Sp. z o.o.
ul. Stefana Kóski 43
43-512 Kaniów
Phone: +48 32 750 82 32
Fax: +48 32 750 82 33
E-mail: parklotniczy@parklotniczy.eu
www: www.parklotniczy.eu

(Last update: December 2019)