E-Malt.com News article: Poland: Kompania Piwowarska extended its Depot network

As of 2 October Kompania Piwowarska had completed extending its Depot network in 2006. It has been complemented with three new Depots located in Lublin, Wroclaw and Rzeszow, the company released October 03. The investment is a response to the growing demand for Kompania Piwowarska's products. Owing to the three new depots, KP's brands will reach the distributors and then the consumers more quickly and efficiently.

Over a dozen thousand square meters of storage area hosts warehouse facilities for beer, POS materials, HoReCa equipment, loading and manoeuvring areas. The depots will also perform the role of KP's regional offices. Their task will be to accept and process orders and deliveries.

“Now we will be much closer to our customers”, says Tomasz Blawat, Vice-President, of sales and distribution department. “We are certain that this will bring about even better results in customer service. Faster services and frequent contacts with our business partners guarantees fruitful collaboration.”

The biggest most technologically advanced depot, boasting compliance with |ISO 22000, is located in Wroclaw. Kompania Piwowarska has been active in Wroclaw for years; this is why the company decided to invest in a larger depot here, substituting the existing one which in the future will enable for a faster distribution system and higher quality of products offered by our company. The new depot will enable for storing enough beer to satisfy demand from all Lower Silesia inhabitants for five days and will shorten delivery time. The new depot will employ 37 people.

The newly established depots in Rzeszow and Lublin will employ 23 and 19 people, respectively. Owing to these new locations, business partners operating in the Lulin region and the Podkarpacie region will be able to significantly speed up the process of purchasing KP products. On top of that, the delivery time will be shortened from 48 to 24 hours.

Although the official name is a Lublin depot, its actual location is Swidnik.

“It is a greatv satisfaction for the city of Swidnik that Kompania Piwowarska selected this location for its new Depot. Such a prestigious investment indicates not only new jobs in Świdnik but primarily the most credible incentive for other investors. In the past two years we have managed to create over a thousand of new jobs in Swidnik - mainly at PZL Swidnik, the Industrial Park as well as small and medium-sized companies. KP's decision is yet another step towards our city's development', said Waldemar Jakson, mayor of Swidnik.”

The new depots are equipped with implemented and operating environmental management systems in compliance with ISO 14001. The implemented system allows for effective management of environmental protection in particular warehouses. This translates directly to environmental awareness of the depots' employees and fulfilling legal and corporate requirements in the realm of environmental protection. A tangible effect of the implemented system is responsible waste management, including recyclable waste, disposal-requiring waste and all legal aspects allowing for appropriate waste segregation. Moreover, employed media like water, electric power and thermal power are subject to monitoring. This affects, among other things, savings on natural resources. The system's functioning is tested within internal and external audits.

All new facilities have been commissioned by Kompania Piwowarska and raised by a developer with respect to a long-term lease agreement.

It is worth emphasizing that each investment has been designed with respect to quick development. Successive segments will be constructed together with sales volume growth.

At present Kompania Piwowarska has at its disposal 18 depots (including the newly opened locations) all over the country.

Kompania Piwowarska's capital investment since 1999 has been estimated to amount to approximately € 400 million. The marketing strategies of the three breweries have undergone profound changes, the sales and distribution network has been reconstructed and unified, technological lines have been upgraded. A considerable part of capital investment has been devoted to extending the breweries' production capacities. At present Kompania Piwowarska's annual production capacity amounts to 12.5 mill hl.

By implementing a program ensuring highest product quality, we have also installed an electronic production control system which allows for achieving the desired results at each stage of the technological cycle.

In 2005 an investment plan of PLN300 million was inaugurated (part of € 400 million), aimed at increasing beer production capacity, continued in 2006. Right now production capacities at Tychy and Bialystok are being extended while the related investment is also planned for the Poznań brewery. The total planned production capacity is to be increased to 15 mill hl.

In April 2006 a SAP management support system was implemented. In the planned period of nine months we managed to implement an integrated management system to support KP's key business areas: sales, distribution, procurement, finance and controlling as well as business analyses.

Kompania Piwowarska - leader of the Polish beer industry

Kompania Piwowarska is the biggest and the most profitable brewer in Poland. Hundreds of years of experience in beer brewing, state-of-the-art technology and rigorous adherence to the World Class Manufacturing rules guarantee the products' highest quality. The company's product portfolio includes TYSKIE (Pole's favourite beer), ZUBR (second largest beer brand in the country), LECH, Dębowe Mocne, Pilsner Urquell, Redd's, Dog in the Fog and Miller Genuine Draft. Kompania Piwowarska was established in 1999 as a result of a merger of Tyskie Browary Ksiązęce and Lech Browary Wielkopolski. In 2003 Kompania was joined by Dojlidy Brewery at Bialystok.

In the fiscal year ended on 31 March 2006 Kompania Piwowarska generated net profits of PLN570 million on sales worth PLN3.8 billion.

Kompania Piwowarska is part of the world's second largest beer producer - SABMiller plc. At present the Group is operating in over 60 countries on five continents while its portfolio includes over 120 robust brands (among them Pilsner Urquell, Miller Genuine Draft, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Castle Lager). In many countries SABMiller Group enjoys the leader's position on the beer market. SABMiller plc is also the biggest bottler of Coca-Cola in the world, excluding US.

In the fiscal year ended on 31 March 2006 SABMiller plc generated adjusted profit before tax amounting to $US2.6 billion on sales worth $US15.3 billion.



13 October, 2006