The Free Zones of the Year ranking, made by fDi Intelligence, is one of the most important free zone acknowledgments in the world.
The bespoke award for investor expansions was earned because of the 50 million EUR expansion project by Neo Group, where the company opened a third manufacturing line in 2018, three new bottle cap manufacturing lines and the acquisition of a plot of land for future expansion by Retal Baltic, Vingės logistika’s plans to invest 12 million EUR into expanding its operations, Vėjo projektai, the manufacturer of Dancer electric buses, moving into the FlexStart space followed by plans to build their own factory, as well as the expansion projects carried out by companies like Albright Lietuva, Lavango, AD REM LEZ, Orion Global PET.
The award for local transport improvements was earned due to two new public transportation routes, with much more regular schedules and complete city coverage. The workforce amenities award was earned because of the FEZ Exchange series of professional events for the members of our community, as well as free bikes to FEZ employees, the Klaipėda South Side renovation initiative and other continual efforts to improve the FEZ infrastructure.
For the third year in a row, the unique FlexStart building also received recognition for its exceptional quick launch capabilities, perfect for manufacturing, distribution, and commerce companies.
Eimantas Kiudulas, the CEO of the Klaipėda FEZ, says that these nods of recognition emphasize and strengthen the long-time strategy used by the FEZ, to work towards quick launch opportunities, flexibility and community.
“It is a true privilege to be acknowledged by fDi Intelligence. I also find it rewarding to see that our long-term strategy, namely our pursuit for quick launch and flexibility, resulting in both new customers, growth of current investors and international recognition. Our next major ambition is further improving the environment for manufacturers' R&D activities, as well as strengthening our portfolio of electric vehicles and renewable energy companies,” says E. Kiudulas.
2018 has been one of the most successful years in the zone’s history. The income generated by the companies operating out of the Klaipėda FEZ reached 1.24 billion EUR, 20% more than the year before. The FEZ companies exported products worth more than 600 million EUR and paid 90 million EUR in taxes. Five new companies joined the Klaipėda FEZ community in the past year.
Explore the full Free Zones of the Year 2019 rankings here.
