Business is doing well in Łódź

Industrial revolution – a term probably used for the first time by the French dyplomat Louis-Guillaume Otto in a letter from 1799, describing the first leap of mankind towards new technologies. Back then, people were talking about water wheels, steam engines or power looms that would increase the efficiency in weaving by as much as 40 times. Today, we are already dealing with the fourth industrial revolution – and the words that are constantly repeated are automation and robotization.

At the end of 2021, Business Development and International Relations Bureau of the City of Łódź Office has conducted a study on the dynamics of employment. It turned out that in Łódź the number of people working in BSS (Business Services Sector) amounted to nearly thirty thousand.

The report focused not only on the past but also on the future, presenting the market demand. It shows that the most, over half a thousand applicants, will find a job in Finance and Accounting Departments. IT, customer service, logistics and human resource employees are most in-demand, right after accounting staff. Łódź, like it used to be in textile industry, today has become a leading location on the investment map of the shared services sector and business process outsourcing. Why did this happen? Not only due to its central location, strong academic centers educating future staff, but above all thanks to the unique atmosphere and cultural and entertainment events characteristic of this former factory town.

The maturity of the BPO/SSC sector in Łódź is confirmed by the hundredth foreign investor who decided to locate his center here – the company "Axalta", a leading supplier of liquid and powder varnishes.

MAŁGORZATA GAWROŃSKA, COMMERCIAL SERVICE CENTER LEADER, AXALTA COATING SYSTEMS POLAND SP. Z O.O.

The opening of our Shared Services Center in Łódź was not a difficult decision, although Warsaw and Prague were also taken into account. There is already a powder coatings department in Łódź but we did not have BSS unit. Ultimately, 50 people will be employed there. Our office employs people from Warsaw, Poznan, Sosnowiec, and we even have a friend from the Czech Republic who moved to Łódź for us.

We have been saying in the company for 150 years that our varnishes are to be durable, efficient and stand out with perfect colors, leaving the smallest possible footprint on the environment. This is still the case today thanks to R&D centers located in Wuppertal, Philadelphia, Shanghai, Mt. Clemens.

 Our office in Opera Park meets the strict standards of our US headquarters. We took care of relaxation zones as well as interesting and functional interiors conducive to effective work. We want working at Axalta to give you satisfaction and we want people to associate their future with it.

Łódź is especially close to me, because it is my city of origin and I am very pleased to say that I contributed to the establishment of the Shared Services Center in my city.

However, Łódź is not only an ideal place to work and live. It is also a city that educates staff for current and future investors. The universities of Łódź build their education programs in such a way as to provide practical skills that allow them  to find themselves in the economy of tomorrow. An example of the field of study that was created as a result of close cooperation and exchange of experiences between the University of Łódź and Nordea (with its center in Łódź) is Business

Process Automation. For its graduates, terms such as robotization or automation will not be secrets, and everyone will benefit from their knowledge combined with enthusiasm and creativity

DR ARTUR MODLIŃSKI – HEAD OF THE AUTOMATION OF BUSINESS PROCESSES – BPA AND RESEARCH CENTER ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND CYBER COMMUNICATION AT THE FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ŁÓDŹ

Who is the field of study addressed to? What is RPA?

Automatisation Business Process – BPA is directed for all interested in new technologies, who would like to find themselves in the era of the digital revolution. In our studies, we combine digital competences with inter-team communication – we allow students to fuse horizons by involving various experts classes areas.

What does education look like? What are the practical classes?

A full course in the field of study is six semesters, one of which is fully devoted to apprenticeships. Most of the activities are practical. Thanks to the accession of the Faculty of Management to at the prestigious Blue Prism Academy, students can use the Blue Prism program to create RPA solutions. In our studies, classes in this program are over 100 hours workshop. During the entire cycle, we place great emphasis on developing soft skills – work in an IT team, researching technological needs or presenting your own ideas. English is also becoming the key language, which is the basis for working in international technological environment.

Has business had an influence on creating the study program?

The BPA course was created on the initiative of business, and its program was co-created by practitioners and academic teachers working at the Faculty of Management (Prof. Tomasz Czapla, Ph.D. Dominika Kaczorowska-Spychalska, Emilian Gwiaździński MA). At the same time, we were drawing good practices from our befriended foreign universities, so that a student completing our three-year study cycle had the same competences as his / her peer receiving a British or American diploma.

What is the university-business relationship?

The relationship between the Faculty of Management and business is the foundation for the development of BPA. Thanks to the exchange HR and support from companies such as Nordea, DXC, Digital Teammates, Digital Workforce, Fujitsu, BSH or Mindbox, we are able to provide our students with the most up-to-date knowledge and skills, which are a key axis of their development in the era of the digital revolution.

Does the university help in finding internships / jobs and where?

Students in the fifth semester of studies undergo internships – largely in companies associated with them around our Program Council. At the same time, the university practically does not have to support them in finding a job – most of them find employment while still studying. Our students meet with interns from various companies during each semester – this builds relationships, which often result in further professional projects.

Who will conduct the classes?

The teaching staff in the field of BPA are practitioners from friendly companies, scientists recognized in Poland dealing with new technologies and foreign experts. So far, classes have been conducted not only by scientists from Poland, but also from Finland and Italy.

What are the possibilities and prospects after completing the course? What industries can you work in?

The main places of employment for BPA graduates are companies that decide to introduce robotization and automation of their processes. Nevertheless, we try to make students start their own business (including in the consulting area). BPA students write a final thesis, but work on a practical project solving a specific problem identified in the company or in a specific technological space. This is the time when some of them can develop their own start-ups, and we are willing to support them in this process.

Why do you assume that it will be relatively easy to find a job after graduation? Is this field of study promising for the future?

Business Process Automation is definitely the field of study of the future. We are sure our students will find employment without any problems – they often manage to do it while still studying. We talk to our business partners on an ongoing basis and we realize that the demand for a BPA graduate is enormous and in the coming years the trend is not likely change.

AGNIESZKA BELOWSKA-GOSŁAWSKA, HEAD OF ROBOTICS – BANK NORDEA ABP

In Nordea Bank we have been automating business processes for the last 6 years, which helped us to increase our customers satisfaction due to high quality and speed of delivered service. IT area has been developing in a super dynamic way, it is not about years, months but days that bring new solutions. The question we all face is not IF but HOW to enter the train called “AUTOMATION”, as it will rapidly leave the platform.

 While building robotics center of excellence we focused on training our own talents but also we tried to recruit developers from the market. We faced huge difficulties due to high competition and low supply of employees with those capabilities. One of the constructive and fruitful idea discussed with University of Łódź and other companies on the market was to create new faculty: Business Process Automation. I am impressed how quickly and efficiently we managed to put this concept into practice. The programme of studies was created by both great specialists from the University but also business experts. I am convinced that companies from Łódź region look forward to employing our future automation specialists. Having in mind speedy development of technologies, which will in the end change completely job market eliminating 30-40% of existing positions, this profile and faculty guarantees solid future.

Additionally I think that building new Tech Hub in Łódź can bring potentially new investors to our region.

This article comes from magazine:
FOCUS ON Business #3 March-April (2/2022)