On 1 August 2019, we celebrated our 30th anniversary. On this momentous occasion, we invited journalists to our plant in Wielogłowy in order to show them what made us a company recognized and valued all over Europe. We are an innovator in our sector, with an ultramodern machinery park, where we manufacture garage doors, gates, windows, doors, and fences. In the evening, we held a ceremonial gala event for invited guests at the Heron Live Hotel in Sienna, where the brand creator, Andrzej Wiśniowski, outlined the company's investment plans for the coming years.
On 31 July, we held a press conference for the media at our Wielogłowy plant. The journalists toured over 3 km to see the heart of the company, which is our manufacturing halls fitted with advanced technological solutions, where our products are made. We are currently building not one, but three plants in Wielogłowy – to manufacture garage doors, fences, and joinery. These are the three main areas of our activity. Such division is necessary in order to optimize processes and ensure efficient operation. With this investment, our manufacturing area increases to 27,000 square metres. Currently, there are 2,000 workers in our employ, but we will soon provide employment opportunities for many more.
“30 years of existence may seem like a short period, but the passage of time can best be seen in the employment structure. Our company employs not only our first employees' children, but also their grandchildren. And we might also see their great-grandchildren in the future,” says Krystyna Baran, President of the Board at Wiśniowski.
During the conference, the journalists were familiarized with the concept of Industry 4.0. We have been a leader in implementing this technology since 2004. This is when our first automatic machine and then the entire technology line was created. Next came time for the first robot and the first autonomous station to be introduced.
“In 2004, we managed to develop the Industry 4.0 standard without any outside assistance and we currently consider ourselves to be experts in the field. The simultaneous use of automation, data exchange and processing, and production technologies leads the WIŚNIOWSKI brand towards creating a ‘smart factory’ where the systems autonomously make decentralized decisions regarding production and control all the related processes, while at the same time communicating with humans and each other in real time. It is a revolution of sorts,” explains Tomasz Długopolski, Technical Development Director at WIŚNIOWSKI. “Despite all this automation, with us, it is the customer that generates the commercial and manufacturing data. Customers and their needs is what counts most to us, because we are a customer-centric company and this has not changed for the last 30 years,” adds Tomasz Długopolski.
On the evening of 31 July, we held a ceremonial gala event at the Heron Live Hotel in Sienna. The evening was hosted by the owner of the brand, Andrzej Wiśniowski. Our guests were familiarized with the history of the brand, which started out in a garage and evolved into a modern plant spanning over 27,000 square metres. As the evening developed, issues significant to the brand were highlighted. Apart from the customer-centric approach, they also include high product quality and made-to-measure production, so that everyone can order a garage door, gate, fence, windows or doors perfectly tailored to their needs. We also take care of our region – the Nowy Sącz region. Precisely for this reason, Andrzej Wiśniowski established the HORYZONT 360 Foundation intending to bring about a tourist and economic revival in the area. We also recognize the need to educate our potential future employees, which is why we founded the PRAKTYK school that educates young people and provides training opportunities at reputable companies in and around Nowy Sącz.
We received a number of congratulatory letters, including one from Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki:
“I would like to thank the Wiśniowski Company for their substantial contribution to building our national brand abroad. Your professional plans – entering new markets, expanding the manufacturing area, increasing employment, and bold implementation of new solutions – are ambitious objectives indeed. I believe that with the commitment, creativity, and great passion that characterize your work, you are sure to reach your goals. I am certain that your accomplishments will inspire and motivate you to reach even further,” wrote Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister of Poland.
During the ceremony, councillor of the Małopolska (Lesser Poland) Voivodeship Assembly Marta Mordarska, passed on their congratulations to us and presented us with the Polonia Minor medal on behalf of the local government.
The three decades of existence of our company were a time of intensive growth. Andrzej Wiśniowski created the first designs in his garage when state-of-the-art technological thought was still germinating.
“Today, we look at everything we managed to achieve over these 30 years with pride. Over a million garage doors and gates sold, nearly 2,500 points of sale all over Europe, 27,000 square metres of production area, and as many as 2,000 people behind the WIŚNIOWSKI brand. The company owes its growth to the owner, Andrzej Wiśniowski, who has acted in an evolutionary manner over all these years. The growth of garage door and gate sales was based on solid foundations and the diverse product range. The majority of income generated by sales has been invested in company development and it will remain so in the coming years,” says Katarzyna Świderska, Marketing Director at WIŚNIOWSKI.
