Polska Izba Konstrukcji Stalowych

The Polish Chamber of Steelworks was established as an organization of business self-government on June 17, 1996 at the General Meeting of Founders by 115 founding members. The Meeting also adopted the Chamber's Constitution and elected the Chamber's Board made up of seventeen members and the Chamber's Friendly Court made up of seven members.

Karol Heidrich, President of Mostostal Warszawa S.A., was reelected the Chamber's Chairman for the second term in 1998.

Since January 1, 1997, the day-to-day operation of the Chamber and its Bodies is the responsibility of the Chamber's Office managed by Director Mirosław Tabaczkiewicz, who was appointed by the Board.

It is characteristic of the Polish Chamber of Steelworks that its 152 members represent very different fields, have different ownership status, and are of different size (from small to large enterprises).

Besides representatives of steel construction industries (production and assembly), the Chamber's members also include companies directly cooperating with or supporting the steel construction industry, such as producers and distributors of materials for the steel industry, producers of aluminum constructions and products, and producers of anti-corrosive paints and varnishes. The Chamber's members also include entities conducting research and providing design services for the purposes of the industry, as well as service companies offering protection against fire and corrosion.

In order to ensure adequate flow of information between the Members and the broadly understood environment of the industry, especially the investor community, the Chamber has taken measures to create a bank of information (largely made up of offers) for the Chamber's Members to support their business activity. Such information is published in the periodical entitled Katalog Firm (Company Directory). Marketing studies are also being conducted on the metal construction market (steel and aluminum), both the domestic market and the markets of selected countries of Western Europe (international comparative studies). The studies are extended to include forecasts for the construction industry and foreign investments in Poland.

Given a wide spectrum of Members and in order to ensure adequate cooperation in solving the problems being faced by the industry, the Chamber has established three working teams focused on dealing with specific problems:

1. The Construction Protection Team is focused on reducing economic and social effects of corrosion and fire by spreading modern technologies aimed at protecting constructions against corrosion and fire.
2. The Aluminum Construction Team is focused on introducing technical standards in the aluminum business, given a dynamic growth in the use of aluminum elements in Poland.
3. The Steel Industry Team is aimed at creating a platform for cooperation and close relationship between producers and distributors of steel industry products and the steel construction industry.

Representatives of the Construction Protection Team and the Aluminum Construction Team have been delegated to and have been actively participating in the work of the Technical Approval Committee of the Institute of Construction Technology (ITB).

In order to ensure a consistent relationship with its environment and in appreciation of the need to create conditions for the development of the construction sector in a market economy and its harmonization with EU standards, the Chamber has been involved in publishing and editorial work by publishing its own magazine, entitled Steel Constructions, and actively cooperating with non-governmental organizations in the construction industry in the framework of the relevant Agreement signed by the Chamber.