15:41 28 September 2026
Property Forum: automation can be worth twice as much as warehouse
At Property Forum 2026, Marek Dobrzycki, partner at Panattoni Poland, said the value of automation and equipment in modern warehouses can be up to twice that of the building itself, which then becomes a "shell" for tenant infrastructure. Tenants' planned installations and processes increasingly determine a facility's layout and parameters. Still, developers must design for the future: Panattoni allows for adaptations such as adding docks later, and Dobrzycki estimates about 99% of client-requested solutions can be reverted to standard at relatively low cost.
Multi-story warehouses are the exception. Specialized buildings usually have 15-20 year leases and can find similar tenants, as courier facilities now do.
