COMPETITIVENESS OF THE STEEL SECTOR IN POLAND

Purpose: The aim of the work is to identify factors influencing the competitiveness of the steel sector in Poland and its characteristics, as well as to determine the level of competition intensity in it. Design/methodology/approach: In order to achieve the objectives, the following research questions have been formulated: what factors affect the competitiveness of the steel sector in Poland, what is the structure of the steel sector in Poland and what is the level of competition intensity in the steel sector in Poland? The research used the sector analysis according to M. Porter, the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) as a measure of market concentration and a critical analysis of the literature. Findings: The article presents an analysis of the steel sector in Poland. It describes in detail the structure of the sector, including the division of companies by size, legal form and PKD codes for 260 companies, and also characterizes the main steel producers in Poland. Research limitations/implications: The research has been limited to the analysis of companies registered in the National Court Register that have codes related to metal production in their core business, narrowing them down to steel. As a direction for further research, it is possible to indicate the extension of the scope of the analysis to include excluded non-ferrous metals, as well as the analysis of the entire value chain, taking into account basic fossil raw materials (iron ore, coking coal) and secondary raw materials (steel and non-ferrous scrap). The impact of technological transformation related to decarbonization on the future structure and competitiveness of the steel sector could be studied. Practical implications: Practical implications for enterprises include the identification of factors influencing the competitiveness of the steel sector in Poland. Originality/value: The article presents an analysis of the steel market concentration in Poland based HHI in 2023, which has not been previously published for such research assumptions of the sector. The article is intended for practitioners and researchers dealing with the subject of the steel sector in Poland and worldwide.