Wojas, Poland's leading shoe manufacturer based in Nowy Targ, has been granted an ISO 9001 certificate – the first time such an award has been given to a company in the Polish footwear and leather sector.

The company was established in 1990 soon after the fall of communism and was built on the ruins of the bankrupted state-owned Podhale shoe factory. A symbol of the potential for the private sector in Poland, Wojas now employs more than 600 people and manufacturers over 700,000 pairs of all types of shoes as well as work and military boots.

The company’s success has led to plans to increase production over the next year, with staff levels rising to over 1,000.