UPS invests in two new Polish facilities
UPS announced intentions to establish two new facilities in Poland representing a combined 25 million (USD) investment. The first is a new parcel sorting hub and center in the town of Strykow. The investment in this facility is the largest of its kind for the company in Poland and construction is scheduled to begin this September. The second facility will house a UPS Global Business Services (GBS) center in the city of Lodz – the second of its kind in the country. Both are scheduled to be operational in the first half of 2015 and will create more than 300 new UPS jobs in Poland. “This year Poland celebrates 25 years of economic freedom. UPS is happy to continue contributing to the country’s economic development with these two investments,” said Piotr Sitarek, country manager UPS Poland. “The central location of the new parcel sorting center in Strykow will enable us to provide faster service to our customers and the new GBS center in Lodz will allow us to increase the efficiency of our administrative operations throughout Europe, while offering skilled jobs to the Polish community.”
The new facility in Strykow will operate simultaneously as a package sorting center and a distribution hub for parcels of all sizes to meet the growing needs of the market. It will have a total operating area of nearly 13,000 square meters, the equivalent of two football fields and will be equipped with sorting technology that can process up to 15,000 packages per hour.
Strykow, near Lodz, was selected by UPS because of its central location and proximity to many national business centers. In addition, the site offers an excellent transport infrastructure, which allows for further refinement of UPS network connections.
GBS is a UPS division which provides shared international services, including information services, customer service, and accounting. UPS opened its first GBS center in Poland in Wroclaw in 2006, where more than 600 people are employed today. After launching services at the center in Lodz, the company will ultimately employ more than 900 people at both GBS sites combined.
“UPS is proud to partner with Poland as we open a second Global Business Services facility here,” said Larry Darrow, president of UPS Global Business Services. “We conducted a thorough and comprehensive search as we sought to expand our European presence and Lodz stood out as an ideal choice. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship and thank the Polish Ministry of Economy, Mayor Hanna Zdanowska and the many other Polish officials who worked very hard to make this new location a reality.”
“Investments by foreign companies are the best recommendation for the city of Lodz as an ideal place for business development,” said Zdanowska. “This is confirmed by the two projects announced by UPS. We are welcoming a company which is known for its high-quality service and valued for its management standards. The presence of such a strong partner in the Lodz market is proof of a properly executed strategy and confirms that our city is one of the most attractive in terms of the development of modern services and the logistics industry.”
