If you spend enough years covering the global automotive aftermarket, you start to recognize when a country is quietly — sometimes unexpectedly — building momentum. Poland is one of those places. And during a study tour organized for American media representatives from Nov. 11–15, 2025 — co-organized by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) — that momentum was unmistakable.
For five days, we moved city to city across Poland, from Warsaw to Kielce to Lublin and back, meeting manufacturers, research institutes, technology developers and motorsport innovators. The tour was a deep dive into a sector that feels like it has been sharpening its capabilities behind the scenes — and is now ready to make a far more assertive push onto the world stage, including the U.S. market.
A mission with a clear intent
PAIH is a major institution within the Polish Development Fund Group, charged with promoting Poland’s economic identity abroad and supporting domestic companies in their global expansion efforts. They assist foreign investors entering the Polish market and help Polish companies reach outwards—both goals evident at every stop on the tour.
During the mission’s opening presentation, PAIH laid out their long-term agenda: strengthening Poland’s global brand, guiding SMEs into export markets, fostering innovation and positioning the country as a reliable partner.
One of the centerpiece efforts is the Internationalization of SMEs – Brand HUB initiative, running from 2024 to 2029. The program targets 15 key sectors—one of them automotive — and supports export readiness, innovation and digital transformation. Essentially, it aims to prepare Polish SMEs not only to manufacture competitively, but to compete on branding, technology and international engagement.
For anyone who follows global supply chains, it’s the right move at the right time.
Meeting the Polish Automotive Group
Our first meeting was with the Polish Automotive Group (Polska Grupa Motoryzacyjna, or PGM), an organization gathering domestic manufacturers under a unified banner. They didn’t mince words: their mission is to build and strengthen the visibility of Polish automotive production globally, in part by encouraging collaboration among firms that have historically operated independently.
The sense you get from PGM is that they are trying to cultivate something Germany mastered decades ago—a coordinated ecosystem where suppliers support each other, share knowledge and benefit from a unified narrative abroad.
A visit to Wuzetem
From there, we moved on to WUZETEM, a company that reminds you that Poland has manufacturing depth beyond what most Americans realize.
WUZETEM, a manufacturer with nearly 75 years in precision engineering, specializes in high-tolerance metal components — including nozzles and injectors for diesel fuel-injection systems — and maintains full control over its production chain, from design and machining to in-house testing. The company’s strengths include a modern machine park, its own R&D laboratory, and deep expertise in advanced materials and coatings such as DLC, enabling exceptional durability and repeatability in its products.
Operating globally, WUZETEM exports to dozens of countries and supplies components to the automotive, agricultural, heavy-industry and defense sectors. With production anchored in Poland, the company offers stable, secure supply and flexible engineering partnerships — from rapid prototyping to short production runs and technical support — further differentiating the brand. Focused on premium quality, European reliability and continuous innovation, WUZETEM has established itself as Poland’s leading precision-components manufacturer with a growing global footprint.
Innovation at Lukasiewicz – PIMOT
The afternoon shift took us to the Łukasiewicz Research Network – PIMOT, one of the country’s flagship R&D institutions. Researchers walkied us through active work on mobility technologies, safety systems, advanced materials and emissions innovations.
They handle applied science rather than theoretical work, with a clear focus on industrial solutions. If a supplier wants to test new materials, validate a safety component, or explore electrification pathways, this is where they go. PIMOT represents the kind of research backbone that growing automotive nations need, and Poland seems to understand that implicitly.
Elerte: Quiet remanufacturing powerhouse
The next day began with a plant visit to Elerte, a company specializing in remanufactured brake components for trucks and semi-trailers. Their operations extend into Turkey and the UK, and — critically – they already have a growing customer base in the United States.
For American buyers increasingly looking to diversify supply chains, Elerte is positioned well. They’re focused, technical and deeply committed to quality control—traits that are indispensable in the commercial braking segment.
PMC Motors: Polish performance engineering
If you’re into motorsport and tuning culture, PMC Motors is the kind of company that grabs your attention. They don’t just manufacture parts — they engineer them. Adapters, polyurethane bushings, control arms, engine mounts, short shifters, spacers, camber plates, handbrakes and more.
This was one of the most youthful and high-energy companies on the tour. They’ve already broken into the U.S. market, and based on what we saw, they’re just getting started. Poland is not traditionally thought of as a motorsport manufacturing hub, but PMC challenges that assumption with every product they put out.
AutonomyNow: A strong signal about Poland’s tech future
AutonomyNow may be one of the most significant companies we met — not because of size, but because of what they represent. They develop AI-powered ADAS systems for buses and coaches, using machine learning, sensor fusion, computer vision and compliance with UN Regulations No. 151 and 131. More importantly, and something I pointed out during our stay, the company is actually producing products, boxing them and shipping them out. This is a refreshing change as other tours and booth visits I’ve made at trade shows in the ADAS space focus on theory.
Their features — pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind spot monitoring, automated emergency braking, lane departure, driver attention alerts — place them firmly in the European vanguard of commercial-vehicle safety tech. R&D in Warsaw, production in Lublin—another example of how Poland is distributing advanced tech capability across regions.
Motor Transport Institute’s Connected & Autonomous Vehicles Competence Centre
Our final major stop was the Motor Transport Institute, which is responsible for evaluating and supporting autonomous vehicle technologies in Poland. They conduct simulator studies, HMI validation, safety research, driver monitoring analysis and early-stage assessments of road automation.
They are, in a sense, the regulatory and research arm preparing Poland for the next era of transportation. Their work mirrors programs I’ve in Germany, the U.K., and parts of Scandinavia — countries that have committed to long-term investments in safe automation.
Closing at the Automotive Parts Expo and Warsaw Motor Show
The tour ended at the Automotive Parts Expo and Warsaw Motor Show — fitting, because it tied everything together. You could see suppliers, innovators, vehicle manufacturers and aftermarket players under one roof, demonstrating a national industry that is becoming more unified, more confident and more outward-facing.
What stood out most across all five days was the sense of coordination. Poland’s automotive sector is moving strategically. Agencies like PAIH are helping SMEs find their footing abroad. Organizations like PGM are tightening the ecosystem at home. Companies like Elerte, Wuzetem, PMC Motors and AutonomyNow are exporting, innovating and scaling.
As someone who covers this industry globally, I came away with one clear conclusion: Poland is no longer an emerging player — it’s an established one, and one the U.S. market should expect to see more of.
For the latest automotive aftermarket news and information, visit https://aftermarketintel.com. Do you have automotive aftermarket news? Contact Aftermarket Intel Editor Mark Phillips at mark@lpnewmedia.com. He’s on LinkedIn here.
