Local services
Economic, business and urban development – these are the three main areas of focus for EDC Debrecen Urban and Economic Development Center. In the local podcast Zoltán Pécskay, managing director, said that when a company is thinking of setting up a new site, it usually carries out a preliminary screening. If it’s a foreign company, they first decide whether to invest in the European Union and the Central and Eastern European region.
The selection process usually starts with a long list of countries, and EDC is involved when Debrecen appears on this list as a possible location.
“We are approached with a number of questions depending on the activity. If we’re looking at a manufacturing company, obviously, it’s important to have a suitable location for the factory, in an industrial park environment, with adequate infrastructure and utilities. A suitable office environment and back office facilities are important if it is a service industry. In addition, the right workforce and educational background are important in all cases,” the CEO explained.
According to Zoltán Pécskay, they have 5+1 answers why Debrecen is a good place to invest.
- The first is that the city is very accessible; it is accessible by motorway from several directions, which is a basic requirement, as well as an international airport and is located on a main line of a European rail network.
- The second argument is that there is a good labour supply,
- then an important aspect is the high level of educational background;
- the fourth is the appropriate entrepreneurial background,
- then a strong economic environment, and
- the plus one is the existence of the EDC Debrecen Urban and Economic Development Center, and Debrecen Infrastructure Development (DIF) Kft.
“We always tell potential investors that we are not only here until someone makes a decision, but also after that, we help them in the process of moving in, and we are also here during operation as a support organisation. In other words, this city is serious about supporting and helping companies and the entrepreneurial sphere, as it knows how and, where necessary,” he emphasised.
Zoltán Pécskay said there are already more than sixty people working at EDC and DIF, there is almost no background organisation supporting economic development with such a number in Hungary, and it is also considered a rarity in the Central and Eastern European region.
He believes that the number of companies that have appeared in Debrecen in recent years proves that it was a good decision to establish EDC eight years ago.
Regarding business development, the executive said that their goal is to help not only new companies and not only the largest companies but also those small and medium-sized enterprises that are an integral part of Debrecen’s economy.
“We often talk about very small companies, but due to their large number, both their economic potential and their impact on employment are significant,” he emphasised.
They help them find EU funding opportunities; in addition, they have started education and training programs for them to increase their efficiency, and with their supplier program, they try to channel them to larger companies.
It was said in the podcast that Debrecen’s industrial parks would soon be full, so EDC’s activities will also be transformed, but at the same time, the executive believes that there is still potential in the service sector, where significant expansion is still possible in terms of both the educational background and the office infrastructure.
“However, the focus is shifting to urban development; to give just one example, the issue of housing will be an important task; housing development projects are needed. We are also trying to use the experience gained in the EDC here and to persuade real estate developers to start housing development projects in Debrecen,” Zoltán Pécskay added.
Source and photo credit: dehir.hu
