BMZ Poland powers Europe. As the biggest lithium-ion battery manufacturer in its home country, the organisation’s products can be found in electric bikes, scooters, power tools, gardening tools, utility vehicles, and electric buses across the continent.
Part of the larger BMZ Group, BMZ Poland was launched in 2010 to head up the organisation’s activities in Eastern Europe. Building on the BMZ Group’s early work, in which the company pioneered the use of cylindrical lithium-ion batteries in gardening tools, the Polish division quickly became a major production hub serving growing demand in Germany, Poland, and Continental Europe.
“Early on, all manufacturing for BMZ’s power and garden tool batteries was pushed to Poland,” BMZ Poland CEO Tomasz Wolk-Jankowski explains. “This was followed by an increase in work towards e-bikes, which our Founder, Sven Bauer, had realised was going to be the next big thing in Europe.”
Tailored Battery Solutions
In 2025, BMZ Poland remains one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of batteries for e-bikes, power tools, and garden tools. However, the organisation has also become a renowned custom manufacturer that works closely with clients to deliver tailored battery solutions.
“Tackling problems as a custom builder is part of our DNA now. We can ask companies what they require, and we then make that battery for them,” Tomasz states. “Following the voice of the customer is effective in many cases for us. Major clients have told us that they buy from us because we provide good quality, we are flexible, and we listen.”
But what do you do when the customer doesn’t know what they want? This is another challenge BMZ Poland has had to overcome, but in learning to do so, the company has vastly expanded its horizons.
“Dealing with customers who lack a clear idea of their requirements has forced us to take up new approaches,” Tomasz says. “It has given us an opportunity to get our own voice out there.”
“In these situations, you must be proactive and create a market environment in which the customer can come to understand what it is they really need, and why they need it. You have to lead, and sometimes change, the conversation.”
Changing the Conversation
This ambitious approach led BMZ Poland to the electric bus market. The shift has proved highly lucrative for the company, acting as a springboard for rapid growth over the last five years.
“At first, moving into the electric bus market seemed like a crazy idea because it was such a big step up from the small batteries we had been producing,” Tomasz recalls. “Even though I was sceptical at times, our team remained enthusiastic, so we gave them all the resources they needed and one chance to prove we could get the battery right. Of course, there were delays and mistakes, but we did it, and the battery is still running today.”
Not long after creating its very first battery for an electric bus, BMZ Poland was handed a major contract with Solaris, which was, at the time, the biggest electric bus manufacturer in Europe. This was soon succeeded by a contract with Daimler Buses – one of the largest deals for the supply of batteries ever.
“Taking on the electric bus space is perhaps the best decision we’ve ever made,” Tomasz declares. “If we had followed the customer voice on this occasion, the customers would probably have told us that they did not need electric buses. In situations like this, you must start from the bottom and explain the situation – in this case, it’s high-time to stop polluting our cities.”
By assessing the root of the problem, forging a different path, and explaining the technology behind its decisions, BMZ Poland is helping to change customer attitudes towards the new method of sustainable public transport that its batteries support. “Ask people if they would like electric buses or a storage battery for their house and they will say ‘no, why would I need that?’” says Tomasz. “But ask people if they would like to get rid of pollution and they will say ‘yes, definitely’.”
It is through a combination of listening to customers and leading the way itself that BMZ Poland has become so well-established in Europe. The company is a reliable partner for its clients, and an important contributor to the daily lives of people around the world – supporting everything from transport to day-to-day chores. In 2020, the organisation even played a role in saving lives during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We had previously manufactured battery packs for medical devices, and when Covid-19 hit, we realised we had a pack built that could be used to sustain the operation of hospital monitors,” Tomasz reveals. “Just like around the world, Warsaw had a temporary hospital erected in a stadium during the height of the pandemic. It was already missing medical devices, so we called a well-known global brand and worked with them to supply hundreds of those batteries that could be used to help patients in the hospital.”
Bold Decisions
The BMZ Group continues to grow around the world, with BMZ Poland a shining example of how the company’s regional divisions can thrive. For Tomasz, BMZ Poland has drawn much of its strength and spirit from the leadership of BMZ Founder Sven Bauer.
“When a leader is able to define their vision and create a team behind it, that is a huge advantage for a business,” Tomasz remarks. “Sven is a true leader in that he doesn’t mind making mistakes because he doubles the mistakes with good decisions. We are successful in all areas we focus on, and that has been extremely beneficial for the growth of the business.”
Like Sven, Tomasz is not afraid to make bold decisions. In order to boost BMZ Poland’s chances of success, the CEO has always approached situations from different angles, in turn, finding new avenues for opportunity. It’s a theme that will likely shape the company’s future as it looks to continue its growth trajectory.
“Going forward, we’re looking to develop new battery solutions in the garden and power tools segment, as well as embracing LFP technology for energy storage,” Tomasz reports. “Buses will remain our main focus and there is scope for us to grow that business into more European countries.
“We’re also working to supply our batteries to the UK and US. In particular, government limitations on Chinese manufacturers in the US will provide us with more opportunity to export our technology out there. The future is hard to predict, but we will continue to search for the technological niches that can help deliver us into a new era.”
