As a result of the implementation of the Commissioned Research Project No. PZB-023-13 titled “Concept of locating logistics centers in Poland”, the expediency of building international logistics centers in the following regions was indicated: central, Greater Poland, Silesia, eastern, and the Tri-City and Szczecin-Świnoujście area. Since no logistics center of this nature has been implemented so far, it is worth looking at the current state of affairs.
Where is the demand for logistics services concentrated? In foreign trade, the share of general cargo is interesting, as it is susceptible to transshipment and storage in logistics centers. The volume of exports and imports of these goods in 2000 is shown in Figures 1 and 2.
The figures show that the dominant volumes of trade in these products were realized in the following voivodeships: Mazowieckie, Wielkopolskie, Śląskie, and Dolnośląskie.
An additional auxiliary element of the assessment may be the concentration of warehouse space, which indicates the size of the demand for warehousing services (Fig. 3).
Figure 4 shows where logistics services related to storage in service warehouses are concentrated.
The number of foreign investments in Poland can also be an indicator that shows where the potential demand for logistics services is concentrated (Fig. 5). In this ranking, the Mazowieckie, Śląskie, and Wielkopolskie voivodeships also perform best.
Despite potentially favorable premises indicating the implementation of at least three international-level logistics centers (Mazovia, Greater Poland, Silesia), none of them have been built. Why?
In the federal states of Germany, the initiators of the creation of logistics centers were predominantly the state governments of the federal states and municipalities. Later, proposals for creating a network of logistics centers were developed based on the results of research conducted at the request of the Federal Ministry of Transport. Already in 1992, they were reflected in federal transport plans, thus creating a basis for taking further measures to develop the communication and transport infrastructure of the federal states and municipalities.
The development strategy for logistics centers promoted by the Federal Ministry of Transport was also supported from the beginning by the then Boards of the German Railways and the German State Railway.
Existing German and Polish experiences related to the implementation of logistics centers indicate two models for building logistics centers and the effectiveness of their implementation.
1. German model – based on public-private capital cooperation – in which the state initiates a program for the location and construction of a network of logistics centers and entrusts its coordination and implementation to appropriate institutions and economic entities.
2. Polish model – based on the location of logistics centers indicated in various studies and the lack of direct state involvement in the implementation of priority investments in this area.
The implementation of the German model has resulted in the launch, or advanced implementation, of at least 39 logistics centers of various sizes and reach.
The implementation of the Polish model has not yet brought any concrete results. According to G. Szyszka, in the coming years, one should not count on the state getting involved in the construction of logistics centers. This is also indicated by the priorities for 2000-2015 defined by the then Ministry of Transport and Maritime Economy of the previous government, which focus on the modernization of the road system, restructuring of PKP, development of maritime transport and increasing the competitiveness of seaports, as well as the development of air transport. When discussing these priorities, logistics centers were not even mentioned. Also, in the medium-term strategy for 2000-2006 outlined in this document, they lost even to the problem of pedestrian and bicycle traffic signaled therein. This premise was well understood by various environmental lobbies, which are taking initiatives related to the creation of logistics centers and are looking for alternative ways of implementation by shifting contacts to local and regional governments. There is a possibility of building logistics centers by private capital, but such a model has fundamental weaknesses:
• Implementations will meet the specific needs and capabilities of the investor, which may result in limiting the scope of the investment and the possibilities for further expansion of the logistics center due to location conditions or a development program limited by capital capabilities or the investor’s goals.
• There will be problems with coordinating the development of the construction of logistics centers within a uniform program taking into account various needs and conditions (regional, location, cooperation, etc.). The implementation time of logistics centers that would form at least the foundations of the network structure of the logistics system is unpredictable.
• There is little chance that private investment capital will create international logistics centers with a wide range of logistics services, which are most desirable from the point of view of economic development and the construction of a national logistics system, because such investments are very expensive and the payback period is long.
The public-private model is the only one that will ensure the actual implementation of the program for building logistics centers in Poland, because its implementation, in addition to private investment capital, requires the participation of administrative and local authorities for the following reasons:
• Local governments and the State Treasury often have a significant amount of land at their disposal (municipal and State Treasury property). Due to the possibility of these owners contributing them to the company in the form of an in-kind contribution, these lands are desirable in such investments.
• The fact that the local government or the State Treasury owns appropriate land when considering alternative locations is an important selection criterion and often determines not only the choice of location but also the general possibility of building a logistics center.
• For the same reasons, the cooperation of various authorities and local government bodies is necessary during the planning and subsequent implementation of the investment.
• Investment outlays related to the purchase and consolidation of land and the construction of basic infrastructure are high and do not translate directly into benefits. Hence, it is difficult to encourage private capital to invest in this scope of investment. For this reason alone, the financial involvement of the state is needed, which can take various forms: financial resources, guarantees for banks, financing of credit costs, etc.
• During the preparatory period, the acceptance of these authorities and local government bodies regarding the expediency of the investment and the adoption of a local spatial development plan for the selected location is necessary. This will allow for the unambiguous determination of the land’s purpose and will stop the purchase of land – especially that held by private owners – for speculative purposes or purposes unrelated to the construction of a logistics center.
• State administration and local governments, by implementing a specific policy towards future investors, create conditions that significantly influence the possibility of attracting investment capital both for direct investments related to the construction of a logistics center and those related to the use of its services.