3M develops its central strategy

A Central European Distribution Center for global manufacturing giant 3M will soon begin operations in Dšbrowa Górnicza. The center will be run by Fiege, a logistics firm headquartered in Germany, which won a tender to provide services at the facility.

"We were very impressed with the proposal for servicing the new Central European Distribution Center which Fiege submitted during the tender procedure," said Paul Davis, director of 3M's European distribution network. "This is the first time 3M has outsourced services at a European Distribution Center to an external logistics company."

3M has a network of five distribution centers in Western Europe servicing 12 countries. It decided to open the center in order to service customers in Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

The center will be located on Fiege's premises in Dšbrowa Górnicza. The facility was established in 2005 and covers an area of 45,000 sqm, 15,000 sqm of which will be designated to service 3M. According to the plans, the new distribution center will be operational in January 2008.

The location of the new center corresponds roughly with the geographical center of the firm's regional distribution area and is well placed to access major Polish cities.

"We are very glad that we've won the tender and that we are going to expand our cooperation with 3M. It is, without a doubt, not only a meaningful success but also a great challenge," said Piotr Kohman, general director of Fiege in Poland.

Anna Kapica-Harward