The Czech Republic's fast growing automotive industry accounts for one fifth of the country's industrial production. Automotive production is centred around Škoda Auto's facility in Mladá Boleslav. The plant is served by numerous suppliers and component manufacturers. More than a half of the top 100 automotive industry supply firms have bases in the Czech Republic, and most are located in the northern part of Central Bohemia near the core area around Mladá Boleslav. The current trend is for suppliers to seek facilities close to automotive production plants to reduce travel distances and increase the flexibility of product deliveries.
"The launch of the manufacture of Škoda Auto's new models for 2019 and 2020 and the planned development in the electric car segment is increasing demands on the suppliers of certain components. As a result, land available for the construction of production and storage facilities is disappearing fast. At P3 Mladá Boleslav, we still have space to build three warehouses of 15,000 m², 5,000 m², and 3,500 m² respectively in just six months," explains Tomáš Míček, P3's Country Head for the Czech Republic.
P3 Mladá Boleslav park is located in the Plazy industrial zone, only five minutes’ drive from Škoda Auto's plant. There are currently two companies in occupation at the plant: one of the world's leading suppliers of acoustic components for the automotive industry, HP-Pelzer and Yapp Czech Automotive, a company specialising in the development and manufacture of plastic fuel systems.
"We have extensive experience of working with customers from the automotive industry and catering to their specific requirements for warehouses. These can include a larger-than-normal number of skylights, reinforced roof, high lighting intensity, and electricity requirement three to four times above standard. In addition, warehouses for this sector need to have appropriate amenities for employees, including office space, changing rooms and relaxation zones. Another factor is parking, plus care must be taken to build roads with a sufficient capacity to accommodate the high number of incoming and outgoing vehicles during shift changes," Míček said.
As much as Škoda Auto's suppliers complement one another in terms of product ranges, they are competitors when it comes to securing human resources and facilities for production and storage. They often look for land not only in the Mladá Boleslav district, but in the Liberec region as well. At present, however, there are very few suitable opportunities left in either area.