Pelion S.A. has opened the largest pharmaceutical warehouse in the country in Łódź

In Łódź on Kinga C. Gillette street, the largest pharmaceutical warehouse in Poland and one of the largest in Central Europe has been built. It is used by several pharmaceutical wholesalers and pharmaceutical companies distributing medicines to hospitals and pharmacies. Thanks to this, it is from here that medicines are delivered to thousands of pharmacies and several hundred hospitals throughout Poland. On December 14, 2022, in the presence of the Mayor of Łódź Hanna Zdanowska, representatives of state institutions, representatives of Łódź universities, as well as representatives of institutions financing the investment, the opening of the final stage of the investment took place, which was put into operation in October of this year.
The project began in 2014. Over these 8 years, a gigantic project of key importance for ensuring drug safety for millions of patients in Poland has been successfully implemented. On a plot of 8.8 hectares, halls with an area of 43,000 sqm were built, housing 25,000 pallet spaces. From the beginning of the investment, the project was financed by Bank Millennium and Millennium Leasing.

The investment meets all the rigorous requirements of Pharmaceutical Law and Good Distribution Practice. On over 43,000 sqm, there are high-bay warehouses (with a height exceeding 14 meters), rooms for storing medicines under controlled conditions (including in the so-called cold supply chain), as well as strictly access-controlled warehouses for narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, category 1 precursors, and cytostatics. This allows the company to ensure the highest standards in terms of storage safety for medicinal products.

Thanks to the use of state-of-the-art technological solutions, a large part of the processes related to order picking has been completely automated, significantly streamlining and accelerating the path of the medicine from the receiving chamber to dispatch. Thanks to this, patients can be sure that they will receive the medicines they need in the shortest possible time.

"The investment, which began even before the extraordinary events of recent years, i.e., before the pandemic and before the war in Ukraine, constitutes a critically important link in the drug supply chain across the entire country. It provides hundreds of new jobs and also contributes to the economic development of Łódź and the region." – says Jacek Szwajcowski, CEO of Pelion S.A.

One of them is Urtica, which in 2016 opened the largest hospital drug warehouse in the country at this location. It is from this place that every third medicine that reaches hospitals in Poland originates. Thanks to the investment, Urtica is able to deliver medicines to any place in the country within 24 hours, and in CITO mode in just 6 hours from receiving the order. Within a month, 100,000 packages and approximately 5,000 pallets are issued from the warehouse.

The area of the new Pharmalink warehouse, which is one of the tenants of the last building put into operation, is over 4,500 sqm and allows for the storage of over 5,800 pallets at a temperature of 15-25°C. The new warehouse is also equipped with cold stores that are able to hold a total of over 350 pallets at a temperature of 2-8°C. In addition to storing products in two different temperature ranges, Pharmalink also has the ability to store controlled substances in a separate warehouse with a capacity of over 100 pallet spaces.

"Thanks to the new warehouse space, equipped with high-bay racking, shelf racking, and modern infrastructure, Pharmalink will ensure an even higher standard of provided distribution services and will guarantee itself development opportunities for several years ahead." – emphasizes Renata Biel, CEO of the company.

The Mayor of Łódź, present at the opening, emphasizes the importance of the investment for Łódź and the region.

'The investment strengthens the resilience of our region in the health dimension, but also in the economic one. It means new jobs, and consequently, a stable future for hundreds of families. It also means taxes for our city, thanks to which ambitious programs implemented for the residents of Łódź can be financed. As the Mayor of Łódź, I am happy that despite the constantly growing scale of operations, it is in Łódź that Pelion locates its most important investments." – says Hanna Zdanowska.

Importantly, from the very beginning of construction, a very strong emphasis was placed on ecological solutions. The facility was erected in accordance with Environmental Protection Law and Water Law. Prefabricated elements were used for construction, as well as materials and equipment possessing technical approvals and permits for use on the EU market. Of significant importance from the point of view of environmental protection was the use of existing technical infrastructure during the construction process, enabling connection to existing networks. Due to the nearby residential neighborhood, care was taken for low noise emissions – loading bridges with soundproofing and silenced versions of air conditioning and power generator units were used. Gas-powered, rather than electric, heating and cooling devices were chosen. Heat pumps are used for heating offices, as well as for regulating the temperature of warehouse surfaces. Some of them allow for heat recovery for domestic hot water. The built-in underground retention tank allows for the use of rainwater for sanitary purposes and watering greenery. Photovoltaic panels have also been installed on the roof of the newest hall.