In Wronki, near Poznań, the largest high-bay warehouse in Poland has been built, belonging to Amica, a manufacturer of household appliances. What significance will it have for the investor and the region?
Tomasz Machaj, Director of Investments and Maintenance at Amica S.A.: Construction of the high-bay warehouse, Amica’s latest investment worth approximately PLN 57 million, began on September 9, 2016. Less than a year later, the warehouse is almost complete. In July, we finished the external phase of construction. The grand opening of the warehouse will take place in September. Its total area is 6,500 sq. m. (plus a so-called two-story connector with an area of approx. 5,000 sq. m. on both levels), and its height is 46 m. Such a huge space allows us to store approximately 230,000 household appliances on over 26,000 pallets simultaneously. It is the largest structure of this type in Poland and one of the tallest in Europe. Building the warehouse will allow us to significantly increase efficiency, thanks to which we will be able to deliver products to our customers even faster. Full automation of warehouse operations allows for the handling of up to 1,600 units per hour. We have managed to streamline work in such a way that, despite the increased number of products received and dispatched, it will be easier and safer.
The construction of the warehouse is part of the “Hit 2023” strategy implemented since 2014, which assumes that by 2023 we will double production and increase sales. Thanks to the fact that our products will be stored in one place, rather than in several external warehouses as before, we will be able to pack and distribute our products even faster to both domestic and foreign customers. Importantly, this will also allow us to reduce logistics costs, which in the long term will help amortize the investment costs.
Thanks to the consistent implementation of the “Hit 2023” strategy, which also included expanding and concentrating the logistics center in one place, the plant has been increasing employment for several years. This is the most important aspect for the local community. Importantly, the investment supports the development of the entire region because, in connection with the dynamic expansion of the Amica Group into foreign markets, we are planning further increases in the production capacity of our factory in Wronki.
The warehouse is completely safe for the environment, does not generate pollution or troublesome noise, and the road transport associated with it will be improved by the construction of a bypass declared by local and provincial authorities. The new warehouse will also allow us to reduce transport within the province, as we will not have to transport our products between the factory and external warehouses – household appliances will go directly from Wronki to our customers.