The Logistics Center of Firma Oponiarska Dębica SA, one of the most modern complexes of its kind in Europe, is now half as large again as it was before. The center, which previously had a storage area of approximately 30,000 sqm, has been expanded by another 16,000 sqm. It now has a total of 46,000 sqm, which is more than five full-sized football pitches! The value of the facility is currently over 20 million dollars.
The expansion of the Firma Oponiarska Dębica SA Logistics Center is a direct result of increased production at the Dębica factory. The additional storage space will significantly increase our ability to react quickly during periods of rapidly growing demand. This is important because tires from the warehouse in Tarnów are shipped to all continents, said Michał Mędrek, Logistics Director at Firma Oponiarska Dębica SA.
The Tarnów warehouse is equipped with, among other things, 46 modern loading docks for handling trucks. In addition, the logistics center includes a two-story social and office building intended for warehouse staff, office employees, and drivers.
The logistics center is very important for the city of Tarnów. In addition to tax revenues for the city budget, it provides about 200 jobs both in the logistics center itself and in companies providing services to it.
The center’s exceptional fire protection deserves special attention. Given the type of goods stored, a unique fire protection system was installed, meeting Polish standards and the stringent requirements of the American NFPA standard. In practice, this meant installing over 4,000 so-called intelligent sprinklers with a capacity of 220 l/min, powered by a pipe installation with a total length of 22 km. Additionally, the fire protection system was equipped with over 800 sqm of active smoke vent area, along with a ring of external hydrants with a dual water supply. An above-ground steel tank with a capacity of 1,570 cubic meters was also built, which guarantees that in the event of a fire, firefighters will have almost inexhaustible water reserves. An additional water tank was built during the center’s expansion.
Firma Oponiarska Dębica SA attaches great importance to safety issues. Therefore, on October 19 at 10:00 AM, less than two weeks before the center’s opening scheduled for the beginning of November, professional tactical and combat exercises called “Opona 2005” (Tire 2005) were organized there. The purpose of the exercises is to improve alarm, cooperation, and command systems for fire protection units during the extinguishing of large warehouse hall fires. The participation of rescue services from all over Tarnów and the surrounding area was planned, including the Municipal Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Tarnów, the Smok II Firefighting Company, as well as the specialized Chemical and Ecological Rescue Group “Tarnów”.
In addition to firefighters, representatives of the police, emergency medical services, and the management of the Firma Oponiarska Dębica SA Logistics Center were included in this operation, which was planned on a grand scale.