Carglass Distribution, the division responsible for the distribution of all windscreens and accessories in Belgium and 8 Western-European countries, will centralise its activities, currently spread across 4 sites in Belgium, as of 2018 on a new site in Bilzen, at the industrial site Bilzen-Noord. The new site benefits from an ideal geographical localisation, at the centre of Europe. This decision should enable more efficient activities, better and faster service to customers and a further activity development in the future. International real estate investor Montea will develop and finance the entire project with a potential of over 50,000m².
The decision has been communicated in the utmost transparent way to all employees. Carglass guarantees job security and even announces the creation of additional jobs in the future. For Jean-Paul Teyssen, CEO of Carglass Belgium this decision benefits all: “This centralized site contributes to an anchorage of Carglass® in the region, we guarantee job security in Limburg and we will hopefully create additional jobs in a region that endured a difficult economic situation over the past years. At the same time, we will be able to strengthen our position as a European distribution platform and improve our client services, thanks to this multimodal centre.”
For over 20 years Carglass Distribution is active in Belgium, the last couple of years at 4 different locations in Hasselt and Genk. Currently, 1.2M windscreens and 1.7M accessories are, on an annual basis, delivered from these locations to all Belgan Carglass Service Centers, but also to all subsidiaries in Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and Greece. These logistics and distribution activities are crucial to the entire company strategy. An efficient, fast and performing delivery of windscreens is the basis for a unique client service model, representing the Carglass brand. In order to realize this we searched, with Montea – responsible for the entire project - for a new centralized site to further consolidate this growth and service. Also thanks to a smooth collaboration with the Waterways Service, we succeeded in finalizing this project today.
“The current warehouses are an example of professionalism and quality. We should however keep on looking at the future”, says Guido De Paepe, Head of Global Supply Chain Management Belron. “We look forward to the coming years with loads of ambition. Our internal processes can be improved and Belgium will still occupy an important role in the future as a European hotspot for the distribution activities of Carglass®. The new site is therefore ideally located and very well connected to railways and port cities locally and abroad, which offers us the best flexibility towards the future.”
The project that will be tailor-made for the tenant perfectly fits within Montea’s philosophy: “We always look for efficient and transparent real estate solutions for our customers. Besides a perfect long-term logistics hotspot, the well being of the working environment of the employees is also a key issue. We are consequently extremely pleased to be able to realize a project of that size in Flanders for a successful company such as Carglass.”, confirms Jo De Wolf, CEO of Montea.
The proposed site and the solution of NV De Scheepvaart were crucial links in the final decision of both listed companies. As both companies envisage a long term strategic decision, a water-related transportation modus is essential in the further logistics development.
The exact date and the concrete agreements with regard to the move have to be finalized in the coming weeks. A task force will ensure the satisfactory finalization of the entire project.
Source: Montea
