Blog Archives

3 Japanese SSCs in Poland win at Japan-CEE Europe Investment Awards in Tokyo

7/5/2019

FUJIFILM Europe Business Services (Gdansk), Fujitsu Global Delivery Center Poland (Lodz), and Takeda SCE (Lodz) took the top Awards at the 1st annual Japan – CEE Investment Summit & Awards, held April 25th in Tokyo at the iconic Palace Hotel. 145 top execs representing cross-border investment between Japan and Central Eastern Europe attended.

The 49 Japanese companies on the Short-List account for more than $15 billion of direct investment into Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, and Slovakia – as well as Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Lithuania and Latvia. Nearly 1,000 Japanese companies in CEE currently employ more than 50,000 people in the region.

This 1st annual event, MC’ed by Thom Barnhardt of CEE Business Media and Mina Takahashi of GRJapan, was supported by a wide range of sponsors, media, associations, Ambassadors, and speakers: JETRO, Japan Airlines, CEC Government Relations, Finnair, FCA/Fiat, Investment Agencies and Commercial Counsellors from across the CEE region (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine).

Mr. Yasuhide Nakayama, Former State Minister of Foreign Affairs and a member of the House of Representatives, greeted guests with a Keynote Welcome. And the Investment Summit included a keynote presentation by Mr. Masanori Tsuruda, Director the Europe Division, METI.

Japanese investors continue to move back-office operations from western Europe to CEE, with recent additions including Toyota and Olympus. Another major expansion will be announced during summer 2019.

More than 250 Photos here.

CEE Business Services Directory – May deadlines

7/5/2019

The award-winning Directory of Business Services Centres across Central Eastern Europe will be published in early June, just in time for first distribution at the German Outsourcing Forum in Berlin (4-5 June). BSCs/BPOs are invited to submit (free) Listings update here – deadline 16 May: http://www.europeanbusinessservices.com/submit-directory-listing.html

Distribution starts in June at Germany Outsourcing Form in Berlin (4-5 June); ABSL conference in Warsaw (13 June); ASPIRE conference in Krakow (18 June); Deloitte's annual SSC Summit in Lisbon (10-11 September); USA-Europe Shared Services Summit in New York (19 September); CEE Business Services Awards Gala (January 2020) in Warsaw; and at several additional, focused SSC/BPO conferences during the full year (Hungary, Romania, Czech, Lithuania, etc.)

Bucharest BSC Briefing and Business Mixer, 23 May

7/5/2019

Swiss leader in secure email services opening new office in Vilnius

7/5/2019

ProtonMail, one of the most famous cyber security companies, has opened its new office in Vilnius. This Swiss startup was the first company to offer a private and secure email that can be used by people without any technological background.

ProtonMail was created in 2014 at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The idea of encrypted email has appealed to thousands of people – the company attracted more than half a million dollars of crowdfunding in only a few months. Today, more than 12 million users worldwide use the products of the company – email and Virtual Private Network (VPN).

‘For a long time, cybersecurity has been mostly relevant to organizations and businesses. With the growing popularity of artificial intelligence and data science solutions, the Internet of Things and its gradual arrival to everyone’s home, data security is becoming a problem for every Internet user. As a result, the demand for cybersecurity services to consumers will only grow, and the fact that Lithuania is attracting well-known global companies like ProtonMail is a big achievement for us’, at the opening event said Virginijus Sinkevičius, Business and Innovation Minister.

Vilnius is the sixth office of ProtonMail. The company also has its branches in Geneva, Zurich, San Francisco, Skopje and Prague. According to ProtonMail representatives, the need for online privacy on has been growing immensely. This is one of the reasons for the company’s expansion.

‘When we developed ProtonMail, our goal was to create secure and private Internet. Unlike many companies, we do not collect data about our users and their habits, we do not do any content analysis, we do not sell data about our users to advertising clients, etc. – only users can access their inbox.

Recently, we are witnessing a privacy revolution on the Internet – people are starting to understand the importance of their data and are starting to demand it from companies. This shows that we are expanding in the right direction and thus we will offer even more tools to protect privacy online in the near future,’ said Andy Yen, the co-founder of ProtonMail.

Currently, 14 IT, business development and marketing specialists work at ProtonMail in Vilnius. The company has more than one hundred employees worldwide

German engineering firm hires in Vilnius

7/5/2019

Eisfeld Ingenieure, a German company offering state-of-art structural engineering solutions is to open a new office in Vilnius, Lithuania. The company will look to build a team of 20 professionals in the coming years.

Headquartered in Kassel, Eisfeld Ingenieure has 75 years of experience in structural engineering. Using an approach that integrates the latest BIM modelling software and provides cost-effective and environmentally conscious processes, the company is embracing innovation to deliver future focused structural engineering solutions. Its new Vilnius office will be involved in the development of the company’s core services, with its Lithuanian team being mainly composed of structural engineers.

In particular, the Lithuanian team will be responsible for managing and operating digital planning processes for the construction industry. With the company requiring specialists conversant in BIM workflows, it is keen on not only leveraging the talent available now but creating value moving forward.

“We have already established links with Vilniaus Gediminas Technical University and Vilnius University. Our goal is to develop R&D projects in Lithuania from undergraduate to PhD level that are targeted to create AI-based solutions to automate structural design processes by Machine Learning techniques. Meanwhile, to further foster links with Germany and increase expertise, we also intend to offer internships, and student exchange programs with Germany, as well as summer schools and special courses,” Professor Dr. Michael Eisfeld, CEO from Eisfeld Ingenieure AG, says.

“Currently, over 40 companies are developing AI-based solutions in Lithuania. The majority of them work in finance, logistics, retail, cybersecurity and other sectors. By developing Artificial Intelligence solutions for the construction sector, Eisfeld Ingenieure will greatly contribute to the country’s AI community both in terms of quality and quantity”, says the Minister of Economy and Innovation Virginijus Sinkevičius.

19 September in New York: 3rd annual USA-Europe Business Services Summit & Awards Gala

7/5/2019

At the 3rd annual USA-Europe Business Services Summit & Awards Gala, American companies will be distinguished for their operational excellence with Europe-based business services delivery centres. We expect more than 150 top executives from 75+ companies to attend. The full-day Summit is an integral part of the program - packed full of top US SSC executives disclosing lessons learned, case-studies, and operating insights. And our Digital track aims to connect US mid-market companies keen to tap into top Tech talent from Central Eastern Europe.
Case Studies and Lessons Learned from both New and Veteran Investors in CEE.
5 American corporations who are investors in CEE offer Insights into building strategic advantages, how processes are rapidly-evolving, and key success factors to make your BSC exceed your Board's expectations.

In addition to the Awards in 15 Categories, topics at the Summit include:

Case Studies and Lessons Learned from both New and Veteran Investors in CEE: 5 American corporations who are investors in CEE offer Insights into building strategic advantages, and how processes are rapidly-evolving.
The rise of sophisticated Services Centers in CEE: How American financial companies in CEE are moving up the value-chain, delivering strategic advantage to US corporates across a range of industries and service-delivery processes.
Process Automation in Practice: What 3 mature BSCs/GBS Centres are doing to boost efficiency and transform Processes across the enterprise.

More details at www.SharedServicesEurope.com

C.H. Robinson to hire 100 IT professionals in new Warsaw Tech Centre

7/5/2019

C.H. Robinson, a Fortune 500 provider of third-party logistics and multimodal transport services, has announced that it plans to expand its Warsaw Tech Centre with 100 new IT professionals by the end of 2020. The company plans to enhance its leading technological solutions through the expansion, thereby enabling it to improve its service to customers and carriers in Europe and global markets.

“We are eager to expand our IT and software development departments in Warsaw,” said Mike Neill, Chief Technology Officer at C.H. Robinson. “The growth of our technology team is further proof of our dedicated investment in this critically important part of our business moving forward, and our commitment to innovate and provide best-in-class technology solutions and service.”

Jeroen Eijsink, President of C.H. Robinson Europe, added: “We are investing in our technology as we look to accelerate the pace of innovation and technology deployment.

“We have a diverse portfolio of customers, and our customer strategy is to ensure our technology solutions bring value to them and serve their needs.”

British American Tobacco said to move its service center from Belgium to Romania

7/5/2019

British American Tobacco (BAT), the second-largest tobacco producer in the world, will close a Belgian center and move its activities to Romania while the trade unions say it is a "typical case of social dumping."

The 45 employees of the BAT Center in the Molenbeek district of Brussels, were announced about the move this month, according to daily newspapaper Adevarul.

Following an extraordinary meeting, the management announced its intention to close the Brussels center and move its activities to Romania, where BAT also has operations. The company wants to lay off 35 of the 45 employees at the center in Brussels.

Last year in June, BAT announced that it would invest EUR 800 million over the next five years in its factory in Ploiesti, Romania. The investment, which will generate 200 new jobs in Romania, will support the expansion of BAT's innovative tobacco heating product – glo – in countries across Europe during the second half of 2018.

NEWS

3 Japanese SSCs in Poland win at Japan-CEE Europe Investment Awards in Tokyo

CEE Business Services Directory – May deadlines

Bucharest BSC Briefing and Business Mixer, 23 May

Swiss leader in secure email services opening new office in Vilnius

German engineering firm hires in Vilnius

19 September in New York: 3rd annual USA-Europe Business Services Summit & Awards Gala

C.H. Robinson to hire 100 IT professionals in new Warsaw Tech Centre

British American Tobacco said to move its service center from Belgium to Romania

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