A US-based life sciences company which is leading the fight against dangerous insects welcomed its first work-crew to its new plant in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Poland.
Florida Insect Control Group LLC (FICG) is a maker of innovative, affordable, and environmentally safe products targeting mosquitoes, flies and other pests. The products were designed by some of the world’s top entomologists at the University of Florida and are set to revolutionize the pest control market upon their global roll-out this spring.
With initial research funded by the US Department of Defense, the company received backing from a group of US investors (led by Sir George Buckley – former President and CEO of 3M – and the Stayer Family Office) in 2019 to fund its international expansion. After a worldwide search for the best location for the company’s first factory, Poland was selected due to its attractive business environment, qualified workforce, cost-effectiveness and strategic location.
FICG has located its 3,000 sqm production and storage facility in the Panattoni A2 Warsaw Park in Adamów, on the edge of Grodzisk Mazowiecki, 38 km from Warsaw. Twelve employees have been hired locally and will work across the first shift; however, strong initial demand for the products means an expansion is likely. Two production lines will be utilised.
The award-winning products, which trade under the brand name Inzecto, will be available in retail outlets as well as through professional pest-control channels by Spring 2021 — just in time for mosquito season. They will be distributed globally from the Poland facility.
Enrico Levi, CEO and company founder, said: “We are thrilled to announce the opening of our first factory and excited that our ground-breaking products will soon be on the market. The efficacy, affordability and safety of Inzecto devices are unique to the global pest-control industry and will play a major role in controlling insect populations near human habitation. Mosquitoes and other pests are not only nuisances for people enjoying the outdoors, but are also vectors for dangerous diseases that cost many lives around the world each year.”
Inzecto devices have particular potency for the Aedes albopictus or ‘Asian Tiger’ mosquito as well as the Aedes aegypti, or ‘Yellow Fever mosquito’ that are responsible for the spread of such diseases as Dengue fever, Zika and West Nile virus. The devices are unique in that they kill the larvae of egg-laying mosquitoes as well as the adults.
FICG was shortlisted among just eight other companies in the world for the prestigious 2019 FT/IFC TransformaNonal Business Awards, in the Transformational Solutions in Health, Wellness and Disease prevention category, an award run in conjunction by the Financial Times and the World Bank to award that “highlights innovative, long-term private-sector solutions to major development challenges”.
The company has major global ambitions, and Poland is central to its international strategy.
“Despite the challenges of the pandemic, we have been able to launch operations thanks to the excellent local support and the dedication of our new team in Grodzisk Mazowiecki,” said Mr Levi, an Italian-born entrepreneur and expert on commercialising university-led research. “Poland offers a great cost-quality ratio and is, therefore, the perfect base for us to build our production and distribution strategy around.”
