As a leading developer, owner and manager of modern warehouses and light production spaces, SEGRO supports clients already at the planning stage, offering international know-how combined with knowledge of local standards.
The company, which is almost one hundred years old, may be better known to British readers under its orginal name, Slough Estates Group (from which SEGRO). It developed the Slough industrial estate shortly after the First World War. SEGRO began operating in Central Europe in 2006. Currently, SEGRO has 17 parks across Poland in strategic locations such as: Gdańsk, Gliwice, Łódź, Poznań, Stryków, Tychy, Warsaw and Wrocław.
Development only in strategic locations
SEGRO’s warehousing spaces, which can also be adapted for light production, are located in Poland in the vicinity of the largest agglomerations and transport hubs, in Warsaw, Poznań, Łódź, Stryków, Gliwice, Tychy, Wrocław and Gdańsk. These places guarantee not only excellent access to local markets and to markets in neighbouring countries, but also the presence of qualified staff, which, especially in the case of production, is essential for running a business. SEGRO chooses strategic locations for its logistics parks, while ensuring long-term development of its clients.
An example of a SEGRO development project for a production company, in which one of the key factors determining the choice of a developer was the perfect location, is the Johnson Matthey Battery Systems building (JMBS) in SEGRO Business Park Gliwice. JMBS is one of the largest independent designers and manufacturers of lithium-ion battery systems in Europe. The investment of 13,000m2 sqm for JMBS was fully implemented as a tailor-made project, which means that the building was fully equipped and adapted to the company's requirements. With these solutions, the client can fully develop its production operations. Two international airports nearby and a network of highways ensure easy distribution. In addition to the advantageous location, the building can be expanded in the future, and therefore can flexibly follow the dynamic development of JMBS.
Employee market as a challenge for manufacturing companies
The warehouse and production market, like many other industries, faces today's staffing challenges. According to GUS, Poland’s central statistical office, the number of employees in this sector is almost 3 million people. Poland is now at the forefront of European countries with the highest percentage of turnover on the labour market. The most-quoted reason for job-hopping is higher remuneration offered by the new employer and the desire for professional development, according to a joint report of SEGRO and Randstad Warehouse and light production market. Challenges and trends in employment. Therefore, employers should act with their employees in mind it they want to keep them for longer.
Effective HR solutions are introduced at Jiffy Packaging. It is a leading producer of polyethylene foam and bubble wrap in Europe, with its headquarters located in SEGRO Logistics Park Gliwice since 2008. Due to the successive development of product lines, the company's needs regarding the industrial space have also increased over time. That is why in 2015, SEGRO expanded the client’s building by 35%. Currently, the property leased by Jiffy Packaging has 21,600m2 of warehouse and production space. The consequence of product development was not only the increase in the size of the building, but also the doubling of the number of employees over the last six years. Jiffy Packaging's offer as an employer shows that it is important to take into account a range of employee benefits, such as medical care, life insurance for the employee's entire family, subsidies for holidays or transportation to the workplace. The company was awarded by the Regional Labour Inspectorate in Katowice with the title ‘The Employer – Safe Work Organiser’.
Technologies improve the quality of work in production warehouses
Faced with the evolution of employees’ expectations, developers are looking for technological solutions that support the optimisation of clients’ business processes, improve the comfort of employees' work and exert a positive impact on the natural environment. A good example is the newly established Corning Optical Communications plant, located at the area of SEGRO Logistics Park Stryków. The modern building of the telecoms industry leader, producing fibre optic cables, covers 39,200m2. The development project has been implemented in accordance with the highest standards of warehouse construction in just over eight months.
This facility sets new standards for production buildings with a social and office space. The building has been arranged with three levels of offices with an innovative solution, which is a glass façade with the use of glass with anti-reflective coating to prevent overheating. Finishing materials that have been used in the office part were chosen in a way to create the greatest comfort of work and friendly acoustics. The concept of offices was based on an in-depth analysis of employee behaviours carried out internally by Corning, which depended on the comfort and safety of employees.
The plant has a fully air-conditioned production hall and a warehouse with well-insulated docks, ensuring thermal comfort. In addition, the production part uses a resin floor and the latest installation solutions, such as bus-ways, which streamline production. Taking into account the employees of the plant, facilities such as two terraces and a modern canteen have been created. The building has also been fully adapted to the needs of disabled people. Privileged parking spaces for shared cars have also been prepared.
The newly created facility for Corning Optical Communications will undergo rigorous BREEAM certification, just like all new development projects of SEGRO. BREEAM is one of the leading international methods for assessing a development project in terms of the principles of sustainable development in the context of the natural environment, the social environment and the economics of its management. The criteria taken into account in the evaluation are: energy and water saving, facility management, waste management, building environmental performance and arrangement of the investment environment.