Prof. USz. dr hab Paweł Czapliński (Uniwersytet Szczeciński)

Geograf społeczno-ekonomiczny, profesor Uniwersytetu Szczecińskiego. Specjalizuje się w zagadnieniach dotyczących organizacji i dynamiki struktur przestrzennych polskiego przemysłu, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem elementów błękitnej gospodarki.

Socio-economic geographer, professor at the University of Szczecin. He specializes in issues related to the organization and dynamics of spatial structures of Polish industry, with particular emphasis on elements of the blue economy.

Speech title: Premises of the Success of Polish Industrial Niches in the Context of the Hidden Champions Concept

The aim of this paper is to analyse the premises of the success of Polish industrial niches in the context of Hermann Simon’s concept of hidden champions. This concept describes enterprises which—despite limited public recognition—achieve significant market success due to high specialisation, a strong focus on quality, and the ability to sustain a durable competitive advantage within narrowly defined market segments. This paper is exploratory in nature, and the research method applied is case study analysis, covering selected examples of companies representing four different industrial sectors: guitar manufacturing, cosmetics production, fish processing, and yacht building. The analysed enterprises include, among others, Mayones, Inglot, Bielenda, Ziaja, Graal, Mowi Poland, Delphia Yachts, and Sunreef Yachts, treated as exemplary representations of success within their respective niches.

The analysis indicates that the development of these firms has largely been bottom-up in nature: they emerged and grew thanks to the determination of their founders, who possessed substantial intellectual resources, know-how, and passion capital, often without significant support from public institutions. As small and initially relatively invisible entities, they were able to develop without pressure from large market players and excessive regulatory constraints, which enabled organic growth and gradual attainment of international positions. Their competitive advantage stemmed from a strong emphasis on quality, organisational flexibility, and the ability to build customer relationships based on trust and product personalisation.

At the same time, the paper highlights structural weaknesses typical of such enterprises—particularly succession challenges, limited access to investment capital, and the risk of acquisition by foreign investors in later development phases. This underscores the need to develop strategies for supporting domestic niche firms that could become a foundation for the long-term development of an industry based on knowledge and high value added.