One of the world leaders in BPO – Capgemini, rents two office buildings in Kraków. The company decided to settle in the city which is one of the most important academic centres.
Kraków takes first place in Top 10 Emerging Outsourcing Cities, a ranking by an international company Global Services for 2010. Krakow is the only city from Eastern Europe to be among the first twenty locations which provide the best development opportunities for BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) companies. The list "The TOP 100 – Outsourcing Cities" includes next to Kraków also Warszawa (38th place) and Wrocław (84th place). One of the companies which are located in Kraków is Capgemini, the leader in outsourcing and consulting services, present on the market since 1996.
Kraków houses two Capgemini offices which provide space for over 2000 people. The company rents from Grupa Buma an office building Quattro Business Park and a part of Rondo Business Park of total space amounting to 20 000 square meters. The managers of the company in Eastern Europe find Kraków academic base and its 185 thousand students very important. Technology universities such as AGH University of Science and Technology and University of Technology open so called ordered specialities which train future employees. Development of IT sector allows for better choice of staff. Besides, in Kraków it is easy to find people speaking rare languages. Another important factor is the city's infrastructure, sufficient public transport network and the airport – says Katarzyna Peto-Ziemkiewicz, Office Manager for Eastern Europe in Capgemini Poland.
The history of Capgemini goes back to 1967. Over 40 years on international markets the company has become one of the leaders in BPO. Capgemini provides integrated consulting, outsourcing and technology services. Introduction of Rightshore® influences further development of the company. The idea is to execute a client's order simultaneously form different places in the world, using the advantage over local competition, which allows to save up to 40% of costs.
In Europe Capgemini has its offices in London, Paris, Helsinki, Prague, Bratislava and Berlin. In Central Europe there are nearly 8000 employees and sales in the region amount to over 651 million Euro. In the world Capgemini employs about 115000 people, there are 300 offices in 40 countries. Last year the company generated a worldwide sales worth over 8.7 milliard Euro (data of 31.12.2010).
In Poland Capgemini has its offices in already described Kraków as well as in Warszawa, Wrocław and Katowice. The company employs 4000 people. At the beginning of its activity on the local market, in 1996, Capgemini took over Bossard consulting company. Development took place after 2000 when the company joined its experience with Ernst & Young. At present the company is active in many sectors of the economy: financial services, telecommunication, public sector etc. Capgemini's management pays special attention to the employees' development (awards in country-wide ranking Kariera z Pracodawcą [Career with the Employer] and certificate Top Employers Polska 2010), work ethics (since 2004 in UN Global Compact initiative integrating the concept of corporate responsibility and sustainable development) as well as the environment (since 2007 in Caring for Climate programme which aims at reducing carbon emissions).
The fact that such BPO companies as Capgemini, Motorola, IBM and Google are active on the Kraków market influences other investors' decisions to establish their offices in the city. What is important, in Kraków property tax rates are lower than in Warszawa. Constant development of the infrastructure and new office buildings have positive impact on the image of the City which fosters business. The choice of Kraków was based mainly on the availability of staff – says Katarzyna Peto-Ziemkiewicz. Capgenimi decided to open its biggest offices in Kraków as its unique cultural, entertainment and academic opportunities stand out among other cities.