Announcement: New RD&Q Centre in Poland
Posted on: 15/10/2015
To help us to fully immerse ourselves in our developing markets, in addition to ensuring proximity to our existing manufacturing bases in central Europe, we are delighted to announce that we are working on the launch of a new strategic RD&Q Technical Centre in Bielany Wrocławskie, the Wrocław area of Poland.
We have operated in Poland since 1992 and during that time we have developed an extensive and unique knowledge of our consumers’ eating needs and habits. There are currently seven manufacturing sites in Poland which produce:
- • Chocolate (Jankowice, Bielany Wrocławskie and Skarbimierz, Cieszyn)
- • Chewing gum (Skarbimierz)
- • Biscuits (Jarosław and Płonsk)
We envisage the new facility will host up to 125 RD&Q professionals across all levels, working together in a stimulating and creative environment to help drive our ambitious growth plans. This will also provide an exceptional setting for dedicated RD&Q professionals to grow and develop.
Wrocław is a dynamic cosmopolitan city, the capital of the province of Lower Silesia and Poland’s fourth largest city. The city also is also situated strategically between Prague, Warsaw and Berlin, and boasts a developed transportation infrastructure that connects the city with the whole of the rest of Europe.
As a result of the existence of dynamic companies along with a large pool of young professionals and students, demand has increased for high quality cultural and recreational activities. This has led to the proliferation of restaurants, pubs and clubs, theatres and cinemas, as well as trendy art galleries which truly contribute to the city’s leisure offer.
Wroclaw is frequently called the Venice of the North, due to the plethora of bridges and crossings in the city. In accordance with various calculations, there are over 120 of them. The situation of the city in the broad valley of the Oder River, with many riverbeds and tributaries, with a network of waters compacted with smaller watercourses and a significant number of draining canals, caused the need to rebuild and maintain numerous crossings.
Alongside this the city also offers a fantastic array of sporting facilities, historical sites and unspoiled natural surroundings. This means that your weekends could be spent exploring rugged mountains, visiting castles and monasteries, or relaxing in exclusive spas and health resorts.
Our colleagues, Anne-Fleur Bourdeau and Meltem Sisli, have provided an insight into their experiences of Wrocław and you can read these by
clicking their names below.
Anne-Fleur Bourdeau
Packaging Engineer, Skarbimierz Gum Plant, Poland
"Thanks to the Globetrotter program, I settled down in Wrocław 2 months ago, coming directly from Paris and knowing almost nothing about Poland – except some clichés about cold weather, good vodka, grey cities and obscure language. Since, I have found that Poland, and especially Wrocław, is a really nice place to live!
The old centre is charming with its traditional and colourful architecture, countless bridges, and small islands with green parks where people like to meet. As Capital of Culture for 2016, there is a large entertainment offer with many theatres, opera, concert halls and museums. This is accompanied by a wealth of sport infrastructure, with a stadium, water park, many green areas and an ice skating rink.
There is a great balance between work and personal life and, fortunately, this helps you really experience the Polish life style. Personally, I appreciate the gastronomy here, which is a real part of the culture and (not only) about potatoes and beetroots! Polish cuisine is particularly tasty and there are plenty of places in Wrocław to enjoy it. The international offer is also well developed, with many Italian, Japanese, Mexican, Thai, French or Burger restaurants here. As we know, the Polish vodka is great, but you may also enjoy some local beers and maybe some of the wine!
Thanks to a third of inhabitants being students, local nightlife is also very rich with multiple events. The up-for-anything attitude also dominates in the city, leading to a great atmosphere. Even without knowing the language, everyday life is quite easy as I have found the Polish to be really good English speakers and always willing to help, so you will never feel lost. A lot of activities are specially addressed to foreign languages speakers too, such as movies or courses for almost everything (e.g. dance, photography, etc.). The international community is also very active here and networking meetings take place every day.
Indeed the weather can be a bit cold during the winter but very sunny and barely rainy which makes it manageable… there are also great ski slopes only 2-3 hours away which helps! The city is also ideally located if you want to escape for a weekend thanks to good connections by road with Prague, Berlin, Warsaw or Krakow. A wide range of other destinations in Europe are also easily accessible by air."
Meltem Sisli
Engineer II, R&D Gum and Candy, Skarbimierz Gum Plant, Poland
"I like the historical and colourful architecture in Wrocław, and also the small dwarfs that you can find all over Wrocław – they are so cute. You can reach anywhere so easily by tram, bus or train. There is Copernicus airport too, and you can take a flight to have a nice weekend in any of the nearby countries.
I secured a job opportunity in Wrocław, and that’s how I found myself here. Before I decided to move, I visited in April 2014. I was impressed by the nice architecture in Wrocław, but also how helpful the Polish people were. I shared this with my family, they believed me and then supported my decision. They were very comfortable with this since Wrocław is such a safe and nice place to live.
I would really recommend to live in Wrocław. You can find anything you need here. If you like the peaceful life, you can find it. If you want to travel to nearby countries, you have many opportunities by bus or plane. If you want to have fun and socialize, you can. It has a really nice main square, with nice shops, restaurants, etc. If you like ice skating, like me, you will also have a great chance to try it in Wrocław.
You will just need to decide what makes you happy, come to Wrocław and live it, and you will not regret it!"
We truly believe this new facility will offer a fantastic opportunity for career development and the opportunity to really relish an excellent work/life balance with such a fantastic location.
If you agree, check out our current opportunities here.