FedEx has opened a new 7,000 sq.m facility in southern Poland at the Prologis logistics park in Chorzów, near Katowice, to support the automotive sector in the country. The site includes a sorting sub-centre to handle goods arriving from southern Poland as well as from Wrocław and Poznań.
A spokesperson for FedEx told Automotive Logistics the automotive sector was a very important part of its business.
“We estimate that including hi-tech companies that provide parts or electronics for cars, the total volume would even reach 50% in FedEx international services for Poland,” said the spokesperson. “In domestic services the volumes are lower, but it is still an important industry for us. We cooperate with both big international companies who import the required parts from abroad and with local SMEs that produce and sell automotive parts.”
The Silesian region, where Chorzów is situated, offers big opportunities for companies from the automotive sector, continued the spokesperson. “It is where many automotive firms are based, including the factories of big international companies. Therefore, our new Chorzów station plays an important role in the logistics chain, supporting customers from both ends.”
Nearby OEMs include GM’s Opel plant at Gliwice and Fiat’s site in Tychy.
FedEx said the facility at Chorzów was located near the A4 highway and the Gliwice-Sośnice junction – an intersection of the two biggest international transport corridors in Poland – which would improve the efficiency of shipments to all locations in Poland and beyond.
The facility’s infrastructure is said to allow for more efficient loading of couriers’ vehicles, resulting in earlier pick-ups and deliveries and, as a consequence, faster customer service. The centre is equipped with nine line haul ramps, 15 line haul parking spaces, and 22 dock levellers for courier vehicles.
“We are constantly optimising our network and structure of operations,” said Mariusz Mik, managing director of Poland operations at FedEx Express. “The opening of the Chorzów location is another example, and we are confident that this will increase the level of satisfaction of our customers, which is our highest priority.”
