Intermedix provides database services for the health care system and technological solutions for natural disaster rescue operations all over the world. This is the company’s first international services centre in Europe and is aimed at responding more effectively to customer needs.
This year, in the Lithuanian Business Leaders awards, Intermedix Lietuva was declared the winner in the Investor of the Year nomination.
“Lithuania is attractive to foreign investors due to its tax environment and young and proactive specialists. In addition, Lithuania has more specialists with university education than anywhere else in Europe,” says Director of Intermedix Lietuva Lukas Jankauskas.
According to Jankauskas, the largest investments have been made in employee training and office premises. “Employee training takes 2-3 weeks. Sometimes we send them for training in the US. As the US health care system differs significantly from the Lithuanian model, it is important they become acquainted with it. In the US, the private health sector prevails. Our employees have to learn how to communicate with private hospitals, health insurance companies etc,” explains Jankauskas.
The number of employees, currently stands at 120 is continuing to grow. By the end of summer the company expects to have 150 employees and this number will hit 200 by the end of the year. All employees were recruited through a recruitment company. “It is possible to find people with the required qualifications. Of course people are not queuing at the door but we are finding the kind of employees we need,” says the businessman, refuting the established opinion that it is difficult to source suitable employees in Lithuania.
Jankauskas emphasises that by investing in specialist training they hope to build a strong and loyal team that will remain with the company for years to come. Apparently, the employees are developing various e-solutions, which will eventually need updating and supplementing, and a high turnover of employees would create undue problems. Locating sufficiently large premises for their office was also quite a challenge. “It is not easy to find large premises of approximately 1,000 square metres quickly. Initially, we started in a smaller office, but we have recently concluded an agreement for a building in the centre of Kaunas – where the owner has agreed to renovate a suitable premises for us,” said Jankauskas.
The company chose Kaunas for its international services centre over the capital city. According to Jankauskas, the decision was not accidental. “There are many companies in Vilnius while there are only a few in Kaunas. We were also attracted by Kaunas University of Technology, Vytautas Magnus University and Lithuanian University of Health Sciences as they are producing the kind of graduates we need. We already employ some of their graduates,” says the director.
When asked if solid salaries contribute to attracting employees, Jankauskas was not willing to reveal the actual salaries paid. He explained that salary levels are dependent on the functions performed by the individual – recent graduates have one salary level and those with 5-6 years experience – another. Jankauskas, however, stresses that in addition to salaries, employees are also motivated by the opportunities that an international company affords for professional development.
“When choosing where to invest, I believe you first need to have a clear understanding of the staff that is required. After selecting the city, you should assess the competitive environment and the possibilities for employee recruitment. And of course finding suitable premises is also important,” added Jankauskas.
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