The opportunity

The Rotterdam port – Europe’s largest – is known as Europe’s most important logistics gateway. For logistics companies it’s a key area to be located, and as a result the demand for logistics real estate invariably exceeds the supply. Logistics service provider GEODIS is one of those companies with a warehouse in the Rotterdam harbor, at Prologis Park Botlek, where the global operating company supports customers with customized solutions in the field of transport and logistics.

The challenge

What to do when you need more storage space to meet increasing customer demands? This question gave GEODIS considerable worries. Moving to a different location was not an option. Due to the challenges in the real estate market, finding a new available space in the logistics hotspot was an impossible task. In addition, if a suitable space was found at all, a move would cause customers a lot of inconvenience and delay. No, GEODIS did not want to leave their current location at all costs. Was another solution conceivable that would provide extra storage space?

The solution

For the Prologis Essentials Team, the problem presented an interesting challenge to unburden GEODIS. Soon the idea came up to build a multiple mezzanine in the warehouse. While mezzanines in themselves are nothing new in the logistics world, the floor of the more than 30 years old building offered a serious problem for the construction. In close collaboration with the structural engineer, the mezzanine builder, GEODIS as a customer, a construction engineering consultant and Prologis as the property owner, a custom-made design was created. The result: a total solution with a triple mezzanine that tripled the storage space within the warehouse. Since the customer purchased the mezzanine from Prologis Essentials based on an operational lease construction, no capital expenditures were required, and the entire solution is rented from Prologis. The Prologis Essentials Team took on the entire project management and equipped the triple mezzanine with the latest technologies, such as a plastic collision-safety system, sprinklers, smoke detectors, automation, and LED lighting.

Lessons learned

At Prologis, customer centricity is always key. Therefore, the Prologis Essentials Teams did everything possible to help GEODIS with their storage space problem. By bringing all partners together and supporting GEODIS as a sparring partner throughout the project, the customer was provided with a great solution. To the Prologis Essentials Team advising and assisting a customer in the development of an entire concept like this was a first. Its success confirms Prologis' strategy to unburden customers with full-service real estate solutions from the Essentials platform. Regardless of the customer's lease construction.

Want to know more about this case? Please contact:

Thijs Fleers
[email protected]