Lithuania’s City of the Sun, Siauliai – an attractive place for your investments

Located in the northern part of Lithuania, Siauliai is a modern and compact city, the economic center of northern Lithuania, otherwise known as the City of the Sun. Siauliai region is well-known for its particularly favorable environment for logistics: Siauliai Cargo Airport and a well-developed railway network, the port cities of Klaipeda and Riga are located nearby, and Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, is just 213 km away. The city has long been famous for its industry. The oldest Lithuanian company “Gubernija”, founded in the year 1665, also operates here. Šiauliai is proud of its employees specializing in electronics production, metal processing, furniture production, and logistics. The city has 101,862 inhabitants, and the entire region, which consists of seven municipalities, has 261,145 inhabitants (according to 2021 data). A large number of workplaces employing not only the city residents, but also the inhabitants of the surrounding districts, are concentrated in Siauliai.

The city attracts both Lithuanian and foreign business investments. The examples of recent years evidence that Šiauliai is chosen by large, successful companies for their development. The most recent example is the factory of polymer windows manufacturer “INTUS Windows”, which opened its doors in Siauliai Industrial Park in May of this year. A building of impressive size appeared in a record short time: active discussions began a year and a half ago, then design and planning work followed, and construction lasted only 9 months. Mr. Karolis Grigalius, Chief Executive Officer at Ltintus UAB, was glad during the opening ceremony: “First of all, I want to thank Siauliai City Municipality for their trust, for the territory given to our business. I was very surprised how quickly the problems with permits and other documents were solved. Everything was done here and now.” This factory is one of the largest in the Baltic States, and all the products manufactured in the factory are exported to the United States of America. The factory itself has introduced many innovations, the building meets the requirements of class A++, it is heated and cooled only by geothermal energy. 1 MW solar power plant is installed on the roof of the factory, so the company meets its electricity needs with green energy.

It is necessary to mention a couple more recent foundings that took place in Siauliai Free Economic Zone (FEZ): at the end of 2022, the “DPD Lietuva” parcel terminal started operating here. Despite the difficult geopolitical situation and shocks in the economy, six and a half months were enough for the implementation of the project: construction of the terminal began on 27 April 2022, and in mid-November, parcels were transported and distributed here. Another great example is the factory of the German company “Bär Cargolift” (one of the largest manufacturers of tail lifts in Europe) opened in 2021. This is the company’s first production branch in another country, and investments in this factory amounted to 10 million euros. Mr. Tobias Baer, the owner and leader of “Bär Cargolift”, said that when preparing for the expansion of the company, not only Siauliai FEZ, but also other Lithuanian and foreign FEZs were visited, but Siauliai turned out to be the most suitable place for business development. The businessman pointed out that the company was particularly impressed by the work of Siauliai City Municipality in attracting investors, as well as the professional cooperation of the Siauliai Free Economic Zone (FEZ). Human resources is another important factor. According to the leader of the company, there is no shortage of qualified employees in Siauliai who can take on work, while in Germany there is a problem of their shortage.

Siauliai City Municipality takes every effort to make it as convenient as possible for new businesses to settle in the city. Siauliai Industrial Park and FEZ are successfully operating here and attracting new investors. The Industrial Park is almost completely occupied. Over 6,100 workplaces have been created here, and its expansion is planned. Companies have been successfully established in the FEZ employing over 300 people. 9 more land plots of various sizes are available for investors. The infrastructure of the territory of the FEZ and the Industrial Park is being improved: at the moment, the railway infrastructure development is being carried out. In future, by means of the railway it will be possible to transport raw materials and manufactured products, and to receive short-term storage services. Moreover, when such a need arises, the city can provide more areas for business development.

The attractiveness of Siauliai city for business is increased not only by external conditions and developed infrastructure, but also by the attitude of the Municipality towards investors – business ideas are welcome here. The “one-stop shop” principle is applied, when the investor is consulted on various issues by one specialist responsible for the investor’s support and service. This specialist will not only resolve issues arising during the process of support, but will also take care of the entire service process from the first request to the final solution of the problem or issue. Efficiency, simplicity and attention are the main principles of providing services to investors.

Another important aspect for business is attracting employees. In order to attract as many professional and qualified specialists as possible, several strategies are implemented. First of all, young people are welcome to choose studying in the City of the Sun. For this purpose, in the year 2022, the representatives of Siauliai Vocational School, high schools, business and the Municipality were the first in Lithuania to unite and launch the campaign “Siauliai – Career City”. Its purpose is to encourage young people to obtain a profession or choose higher education studies in Siauliai, and after finishing their studies, to stay and create their future here. By combined efforts, the campaign is being implemented in 2023. There is the internet portal www.karjerasiauliuose.lt, where you can find various information on science, studies, scholarships, incentives, and career opportunities. Focused efforts yield positive results: in the year 2022, Siauliai State University of Applied Sciences was chosen by 50 percent more students than in previous years, Siauliai Academy under Vilnius University was chosen by 18 percent more students and Siauliai Technology Training Center – by 10 percent more students than in previous years. It is planned to continue this cooperation of science, business and self-government.

The second direction of attracting a qualified workforce is professionals who have already graduated from educational institutions and have acquired skills in their professional field. Companies operating in Siauliai have many opportunities to attract the necessary specialists: Siauliai City Municipality provides financial support of up to EUR 6,000 to highly qualified specialists. Necessary conditions: the specialist shall conclude an employment contract with the company at least 3 months prior to the date of submission of the application for financial support for the employment according to the profession, which is listed in the List of Professions lacking in companies operating in the territory of Siauliai City Municipality. The List is approved by the City Municipality and can be supplemented depending on the needs expressed by the business.

Siauliai has a favorable environment for business to grow and develop. Moreover, in the City of the Sun, both the people and the atmosphere are sunny – this celestial body lives in the heart of every inhabitant of the city. We invite you to join and become a part of our solar system!