New Printworks for Poland

The Polish state-owned printer and papermaker PWPW is building a new banknote printing plant and paper mill on an 18-hectare site in Warsaw, recently purchased from the state-owned pharmaceutical company Polfa Tarchomin for PLN 143 million (€32 million).

The history of PWPW dates back to 1919, when the government of the newly-liberated country decided to establish a state printer. The current premises date back to that time and are already at 100% capacity, but the building is under protected status and cannot, therefore, be expanded or developed.

The forthcoming construction of a new printworks and paper mill represents a strategic investment from the perspective of the Polish state and its citizens, said the Minister of the Interior, Mariusz Kamiński, under whose department PWPW reports. ‘We are safeguarding future generations of Poles, [ensuring] that every citizen can be sure of access to Polish currency, to cash.’

The new facility will also produce other types of secure documents, such as passports, identity cards, fiscal stamps and driving licences. Moving to a new site will allow the modernisation of production equipment, making PWPW more competitive globally, said the Minister.

Although a state printer and primarily involved in the production of state fiduciary and identity documents, PWPW is also an active exporter of both products and IT solutions relating to identity. It supplies countries around the world, and is notably strong in the Latin American banknote market.

PWPW currently has three banknote lines, and it is understood that the new printworks – the completion of which is still some time off – is likely to house a combination of new and transferred equipment.