Author: admin

Z początkiem września tego roku otrzymaliśmy certyfikat poświadczający, że wykorzystywana przez nas energia pochodzi całkowicie z odnawialnych źródeł. Tym samym oficjalnie dołączyliśmy do grona świadomych i odpowiedzialnych odbiorców energii.

Certyfikat został nadany przez firmę Axpo, która prowadzi szereg działań w zakresie edukacji na temat świadomego zużywania energii oraz jej ograniczenia. Jej głównym celem jest kształtowanie zrównoważonej przyszłości dzięki innowacyjnym rozwiązaniom energetycznym. Otrzymany certyfikat oznacza, że 100% używanej w naszym zakładzie energii pochodzi z odnawialnych źródeł!

Nasza misja pozostaje niezmienna – tworzymy innowacyjne rozwiązania dla zrównoważonej przyszłości. Działamy na rzecz rewolucji transportu. Podejmujemy świadomie działania, które są zgodne z naszą misją, wizją oraz z wartościami. A to oznacza również troskę o środowisko. Otrzymanie certyfikatu od Axpo jest dla nas sygnałem, że niezmiennie realizujemy te cele.

Do tej pory, oprócz wspomnianego wyżej wyróżnienia, otrzymaliśmy certyfikaty związane m.in. z zarządzaniem jakością, zarządzaniem środowiskowym oraz bezpieczeństwem i higieną pracy.

We are glad that together with Axpo we can take care of the welfare of the planet!

19 sierpnia mieliśmy okazję wziąć udział w Dożynkach Gminy Prusice w Krościnie Wielkiej. Swoją obecność zaznaczyliśmy poprzez wsparcie finansowe organizacji imprezy, a także zakup prezentów dla uczestników loterii.

Dożynki w Krościnie Wielkiej to ważne święto dla lokalnej społeczności, jest bowiem związane z zakończeniem żniw. Stanowi ono okazję do podkreślenia znaczenia rolnictwa i rolników dla społeczności lokalnych i całego kraju. Celem imprezy było również zaktywizowanie i zintegrowanie mieszkanek i mieszkańców gminy Prusice.

W tym roku, podobnie jak w poprzednim, mieliśmy okazję wesprzeć organizację tego wydarzenia. Przekazaliśmy nie tylko środki pieniężnej, ale również zakupiliśmy prezenty, które trafiły do uczestników loterii. Do wygrania były m.in. atrakcyjne zestawy klocków Lego. Zebrane z loterii pieniądze zostały przeznaczone na remont lokalnej kapliczki.

Ponadto uczestnicy imprezy mogli skosztować lokalnych produktów na przygotowanych stoiskach dożynkowych, wysłuchać występów zespołów ludowych oraz wziąć udział w zabawie tanecznej.

Cieszymy się, że kolejny raz mogliśmy zaangażować się w działania lokalnej społeczności!

Electromobility has been growing at a rapid pace in recent years, with electric cars accounting for a growing share of the automotive market. According to EV-Volumes, a total of 10.5 million new BEVs and PHEVs were delivered in 2022, an increase of 55% compared to 2021. It is also becoming easier to meet an “electric” on Polish roads - the latest Electromobility Counter prepared by PSPA and PZPM shows that at the end of June 2023 there were more than 80,000 electric passenger cars on the road in our country, where a year ago at the same time it was less than 51,000. A natural consequence of these changes is the creation of new jobs for e-mobility specialists.

Batteries a hit for Polish exports  

Despite the general development of electromobility in Poland, there is one sector that is definitely coming to the fore. We are talking about lithium-ion batteries. 

– Poland is a significant player in the electromobility market, with a special role in the battery manufacturing sector, which is its leading export commodity. The latest data from the National Bank of Poland (NBP) show that their exports reached PLN 15.3 billion in Q1 2023, accounting for 3.7% of total exports. These figures clearly show how much influence the e-mobility sector has on the Polish economy - informs Agnieszka Ura, Quality Director at GTHR Poland.  

Forecasts for the next few years predict that Poland will maintain its high position in the lithium-ion battery supply chain. According to BNEF, by 2027, six of the ten leading countries in terms of battery production will be European countries, with Poland and Hungary expected to increase their production capacity and maintain their high positions, ranking 6th and 4th, respectively.  

Up to 4 million new jobs

The rapid growth of the electromobility market, especially its battery branch, is of course associated with an increasing number of new jobs. 

– According to estimates by the European Commission, the development of the battery market will lead to an increase of 4 million new jobs by 2025. Particularly important in this process is the training of a cadre of engineers with the qualifications and skills required to work at different stages of the battery life cycle: from raw material extraction to recycling. Technicians, managers and manual workers are also key employees in terms of the sustainability of the battery market – says Maria Majewska, PSPA Battery Committee Coordinator and adds: – Introducing instruments to improve the qualifications of human resources in this area can bring tangible benefits to the Polish economy. It is therefore necessary to strengthen cooperation between academia and business, and vocational and engineering curricula in Poland should focus on learning integrated and process thinking. 

For Poland, the optimistic scenario related to the development of electromobility assumes up to 6,000 new jobs in the next few years (PSPA “Polish lithium-ion batteries drive Europe”). 

Where to look for jobs in electromobility? 

The e-mobility market includes not only the production of electric cars, but also tasks at earlier stages. Jobs in Poland can be found, among others, in the aforementioned production of batteries for electric cars. For example, the Lower Silesia province is home to Europe's largest factory producing lithium-ion batteries – LG Energy Solution Wroclaw. In addition, Lower Silesia is home to a plant that is a joint investment by two Chinese electromobility giants (Zhangjiagang Guotai-Huarong New Chemical Materials Co., Ltd. and Jiangsu Ruitai New Energy Materials Co., Ltd.), which this year announced its readiness to mass-produce the electrolyte needed to make lithium-ion batteries. This means that within a year the Prusice plant will be able to supply half a million batteries. 

– Poland is a good spot for foreign investors thanks to its excellent location in the center of Europe. Our company is an example of this. We already employ 120 people and are regularly looking for new specialists, such as electrical technicians or laboratory workers. We hope that in the next few years we will be able to carry out the planned investments, which will involve the need to hire more qualified specialists - and we are looking forward to the future – says Aneta Dudała, HR and Administration Coordinator at GTHR Poland.

In addition, jobs can also be found in the extraction of necessary raw materials, the creation of charging station infrastructure or recycling. New EU regulations may indicate that new jobs will soon be coming, especially in the latter branch. On July 10, the EU Council adopted a regulation that strengthens the regulations for recycling used batteries. One of the goals of the changes is to move toward a closed-loop economy. This means maximizing the reuse of raw materials. For example, lithium (one of the main materials for batteries) is to be recovered 50% by 2027 and 80% by 2031. 

– Electromobility is currently one of the key directions of global change to take care of the environment. The need for professional management of used electric cells is one of the elements on this path. Elemental Strategic Metals, part of the global leader in urban mining - the Elemental Holding group of companies, is building an ultra-modern and the first plant in this part of Europe for the recovery of strategic metals from Li-ion batteries, in Zawiercie, Poland. The plant will eventually process 50,000 tons of Li-ion batteries per year – says Ireneusz Konarski, Director of Sales Strategy and Market Development at Elemental Strategic Metals.

Elemental Holding has been developing a global network for collecting electro-waste and recovering platinum-group metals, as well as refining valuable components from, among other things, lithium-ion batteries. Production of strategic metals in Poland will make it possible to become independent of importing these raw materials from abroad. Rare earth metals such as lithium, palladium, platinum and rhodium are essential for the production of modern technologies. The cost of the investment in Zawiercie is more than €150 million, and the plant is scheduled to open at the end of 2023. About 200 people will be employed in the first stage, but the target workforce will be 350. Both technical staff will be sought: masters, mechanics, electricians, automation specialists, metallurgists, as well as production workers.

On July 5, 2023, we officially became a member of the Polish-Chinese Main Chamber of Commerce (SinoCham for short). And that means we can do even better to deepen Polish-Chinese cooperation.

SinoCham is a bilateral organization established independently by business entities operating in Poland. It represents the commercial interests of its affiliated members in their business activities.

What are the main goals of the Polish-Chinese Main Chamber of Commerce?

1. Promotion and development of economic cooperation between Poland and China
2. Legal protection of member companies
3. Create a platform for business to government relations
4. Encourage member companies to act in accordance with corporate social responsibility

– GTHR Poland has strong Chinese roots. This is because the Prusice plant was created out of cooperation between Zhangjiagang Guotai-Huarong New Chemical Materials Co., Ltd. and China's Jiangsu Ruitai Chemical Co., Ltd. As a result, we have many specialists in our teams just from the Middle Kingdom,” – says Zhang Xiaomeng, Assistant to the Board of Directors, and adds: – Membership in SinoCham is another step to further strengthen Polish-Chinese ties and develop cooperation between our countries.

SinoCham includes such companies as Bank of China (Luxembourg) S.A. Poland Branch, Huawei Polska Sp. z o.o., Bank Millennium S.A. or Hikvision Poland Sp.z o.o.

In total, the Polish-Chinese Chamber of Commerce brings together more than 70 entities.

You can read more about SinoCham here: https://sinocham.pl/

The Polish Alternative Fuels Association, of which we are a member, has published a report “Europe drives on Polish lithium-ion batteries. The potential of the battery sector in Poland and the CEE region”.

According to the data collected, sales of electric cars reached as many as 10.5 million units in 2022. This allowed to record an increase of 55% over the previous year. According to BNEF forecasts, global lithium-ion battery production capacity will increase as much as eightfold by 2027, reaching 8945 GWh.

The market is undoubtedly gaining momentum, and with it, Europe's role in the sector is becoming increasingly important. Poland and Hungary are emerging as leaders, already accounting for 9% of global production.

– A report by the Polish Alternative Fuels Association clearly indicates that our country already holds a significant position in the market. Lithium-ion batteries account for as much as 2.4% of Polish exports, and Poland ranks second in the world in terms of battery production. We are pleased to see such a buoyant development of this sector: over the past 6 years its value has increased from PLN 1 to 38 billion. We know that there is still much to be achieved in this field,” – says Zhang Xiaomeng, Assistant to the Board of Directors.

The report can be downloaded at: https://pspa.com.pl/2023/raport/samochody-elektryczne-w-europie-jezdza-na-polskich-bateriach-litowo-jonowych/

One of the largest global suppliers of electrolyte used in lithium-ion batteries, China's Guotai-Huarong Poland, is launching a mass production. Assuming full plant capacity at level of 40 thousand tons of electrolyte the company, located in Prusice in the Lower Silesia will supply about 500,000 batteries annually.

GTHR Poland to pierwsza w Europie inwestycja dwóch światowych liderów na rynku elektromobilności – działającego od przeszło 20 lat Zhangjiagang Guotai-Huarong New Chemical Materials Co., Ltd. oraz Jiangsu Ruitai New Energy Materials Co., Ltd. Wartość całej inwestycji, której budowę rozpoczęto w 2020 roku, to 66 mln dolarów.

– Dostrzegamy rosnącą rolę Polski w łańcuchu dostaw baterii litowo-jonowych. Dlatego właśnie tutaj zdecydowaliśmy się zbudować nasz pierwszy zakład w Europie. Ilość naszego surowca używana w jednej baterii samochodu osobowego to ok. 80 kg, co oznacza, że roczna wielkość produkcji naszej fabryki zasili ok. pół miliona samochodów. Inwestycja w Prusicach pozwoli nam umocnić pozycję jednego z wiodących globalnych dostawców elektrolitu i tworzyć dzięki temu zrównoważoną przyszłość. Jestem przekonany, że dzięki wysoce wyspecjalizowanemu zespołowi, który udało nam się zgromadzić na Dolnym Śląsku, będziemy dalej konsekwentnie realizować ambitne cele rozwojowe – mówi Wang Yiming, Prezes Zarządu Guotai-Huarong (Poland).

Według danych dostarczonych przez Polskie Stowarzyszenie Paliw Alternatywnych wartość sektora produkcji baterii litowo-jonowych w Polsce w ciągu ostatnich 6 lat wzrosła z 1 do ponad 38 mld zł, a same akumulatory litowo-jonowe stanowią ponad 2,4 proc. polskiego eksportu. Europa już dzisiaj odpowiada za 14 proc. światowych mocy produkcyjnych w tym obszarze, z czego 9 proc. to Polska i Węgry.

Proces produkcji elektrolitu polega na fizycznym mieszaniu rozpuszczalników organicznych z solami litu oraz niewielkimi ilościami dodatków pozostałych związków chemicznych. Dzieje się to w instalacji zamkniętej, w ścisłym reżimie technologicznym z zachowaniem atmosfery inertnej z wykorzystaniem najwyższej jakości i czystości surowców.

GTHR Poland dostarczy elektrolit między innymi do takich kontrahentów jak LGESWA Energy Solution Wrocław, CATL (Niemcy) czy FREYR Battery Norway. W zakładzie w Prusicach już dzisiaj pracuje ok. 120 pracowników.

We are extending the sponsorship agreement with the local club Orzeł Prusice. Thanks to this cooperation, we want not only to create opportunities for meetings during the most important sports events in the municipality, but above all to promote physical activity among children and young people.

– Cooperation with Eagle Prusice fits perfectly with our strategy of being a good neighbor and popularizing sports among the youngest. As a large company in the region, we understand our important social role and want to use our influence wisely. Extending the sponsorship agreement with the club was therefore obvious to us. We want to involve the local community in what brings positive emotions for whole families, and at the same time build healthy habits from childhood – says Aleksandra Kołaczek from the Translation and Polish-Chinese Relations Department.

You will still be able to see us in many places: on the club's social media, on posters and flyers, on the match uniforms of all youth groups affiliated with the Eagle of Prusice, sports events organized by MKS Eagle of Prusice Soccer Academy or other events.

Chinese New Year is a movable holiday, always falling between January 21 and February 20. This time we celebrated it on January 22. This is the most important date in the calendar of the Middle Kingdom, so we decided to celebrate it with our employees. 

Each year in the Chinese calendar is assigned to a different zodiac sign. They are, in order, Rat (shu), Ox (niu), Tiger (hu), Rabbit (tu), Dragon (long), Snake (she), Horse (ma), Sheep (yang), Monkey (hou), Rooster (ji), Dog (gou) and Pig (zhu). On January 22, we entered the Year of the Rabbit (tu nian). 

In China, this celebration is celebrated very lavishly. On New Year's Eve, families sit down to dinner together, eating dishes typical of the day - such as the famous jiaozi dumplings, sticky rice cake and fish. According to tradition, relatives are presented with red envelopes, meant to symbolize luck and wealth. Everyone spends the evening at home - something that strongly distinguishes the model of celebration we know from Europe.

As you may have guessed, New Year customs were shared among GTHR employees. In addition to a presentation about them and distinctive snacks, everyone had the opportunity to try calligraphy, cut-outs, read about their zodiac sign, look at a game of Chinese chess, checkers or mahjong. At GTHR, in this way, we bring the culture of the Middle Kingdom closer, create an open working environment and space for every employee to grow. 

Once again, we wish you a happy Chinese New Year!

Christmas and the new year is the perfect time to get to know more about those we spend our daily lives with at the dinner table. At GTHR, we celebrated it with great care, and everyone was able to get involved in their own way. It was on this occasion that we gathered with all employees.

There was also a traditional Chinese touch! It is customary in the Middle Kingdom to eat... apples at Christmas. This is all due to the homophone, a similar-sounding word. In Chinese, an apple is ping guo, on the other hand, silent night is ping an ye. To celebrate this custom, we all enjoyed them in December!

This time was exceptionally conducive to meetings. We decided to use it also to invite our employees to a training course on intercultural communication. It was attended by 15 people from various departments who work with Chinese speakers on a daily basis.

– I'm glad that our employees were so eager to engage in joint celebrations. It's important for us to combine traditions and celebrate important days with respect for diversity. This is how we at GTHR create an open work environment – says Aleksandra Kołaczek of the Translation and Polish-Chinese Relations Department.