On September 18, we officially opened our new Central Warehouse in Skawina – an investment that is changing the way logistics are organized at our site and setting a new direction for the refractory materials industry.

Located at the Vesuvius Poland site, the new facility is the first automated central warehouse in Poland dedicated to our industry. It brings together modern automation, IT systems and energy-efficient solutions in one integrated process. The decision to build the warehouse was driven by the need to consolidate previously dispersed warehousing functions and reduce our reliance on external warehouse space.

The 6,400 m² Central Warehouse, with nearly 11,000 storage locations, will help increase operational efficiency, reduce the need for external warehouse space and improve the flow of materials. One of its key features is the integration of automation with IT systems and logistics processes. It is this combination of technology and work organization – and its impact on significantly increasing handling speed – that makes the integration a key element of the entire investment.

Construction in a Fully Operational Plant

One of the biggest challenges was not the construction itself, but carrying it out at a site that remained fully operational throughout the project. The investment required construction, installation and technological works to be carried out simultaneously while maintaining uninterrupted production. This meant carefully managing traffic across the site, controlling hazardous areas and minimizing the risk of conflicts between construction teams and day-to-day production activities.

Safety was a particular priority. The entire warehouse was built with zero accidents, despite the scale of the project and the number of people involved. Around 50 companies and 1,400 people took part in the project. Coordinating such a large number of contractors and employees required close cooperation across multiple areas, from structural and installation works to automation, IT systems and the implementation of the WMS.

Another major challenge was maintaining the operation of the Skawina production site. The demolition of existing buildings and construction of the new facility had to be carried out without disrupting ongoing production.

Technology and Sustainability Go Hand in Hand

Our focus on technological development while reducing the environmental impact of industrial operations made energy efficiency an important consideration throughout the project. The new Central Warehouse supports this approach by consolidating logistics processes, reducing the number of transport operations and making more efficient use of available space. The automation used in the facility also enables better planning of material flows and helps eliminate unnecessary operations.

While technology is at the heart of the investment, none of this would have been possible without people. The Vesuvius Poland teams and our external partners were responsible for planning the different stages of the project, ensuring safety, coordinating contractors, integrating systems and bringing the entire process into operation.

Now, the Central Warehouse will combine the experience and expertise of our employees with the capabilities of automation and digital systems.

This investment marks another step in our development and transformation towards more modern, safer and more efficient production. The new facility will help us make even better use of the potential of our Skawina site, which is one of Vesuvius’ strategic locations worldwide.