Updated: Shimano to sell Nunspeet warehousing

Shimano now intends to outsource its warehousing in Europe and has announced plans to sell its buildings in Nunspeet.

Prompted by a need to shorten delivery times and enhance product availability, the optimisation of the firm’s supply chain had been previously mooted in a set of financials, though the announcement may surprise many used to dealing with Nunspeet. It is now said that a new location in Poland is “being investigated”, with Shimano clarifying that the current Polish warehousing is also being considered for outsourcing as part of the restructure.

The knock on effect of the decision is likely to mean the loss of up to 45 jobs physically attached to the warehousing, though the business is exploring everything from compensation schemes and opportunities to be guided to a new job, including possible retraining.

“Shimano has grown enormously in recent years and the demand for our products is increasing every year. The distribution center in Nunspeet has almost outgrown its capacity. In order to be able to grow further and to be able to meet the continuously changing requirements of our customers, it is necessary that Shimano organizes the logistics chain in a future-proof way. This requires the most modern processes, information systems and flexibility in logistics solutions. Shimano is making the strategic choice to fully focus on its core activities of sales, marketing and service,” says Marc van Rooij, President Shimano Europe Group.

“A careful process has been organized to select the logistics service provider that may take over the warehouse and logistics activities. Shimano expects to make that choice in the coming months,” says Kim Edwards, Manager Corporate Communications. “Shimano intends to sell the buildings on the Nunspeet location. We are looking for a suitable location in the Nunspeet region for the office employees of Shimano Benelux and Shimano Europe”.

Depending on the implementation, the transition to the possible new service provider will take place in late summer of 2023 at the earliest. Until then, deliveries will continue through the existing distribution center in Nunspeet.