Shimano Europe announces plan to outsource warehouse activities, putting 45 jobs at risk

Component giant Shimano has announced plans to outsource its European warehouse activities, putting 45 jobs at risk. 

The Japanese groupset, component, and apparel manufacturer said that due to enormous growth within the company, the distribution centre in the Netherlands no longer suits demand. 

Shimano said that the transition to the new outsourced warehouse model will take place in late 2023 at the earliest. 

The company said it is considering moving the distribution operation to Poland, leaving 45 workers at the hub in Nunspeet, the Netherlands, at risk of redundancy. 

A social plan is being put together for the employees impacted, which will include a compensation scheme, potential job changes, and retraining options. 

According to Shimano, the decision has been taken in order to offer shorter delivery times and improve product availability. 

“Shimano has grown enormously in recent years and the demand for our products is increasing every year. The distribution centre in Nunspeet has almost outgrown its capacity. In order to be able to grow further and to be able to meet the continuously changing requirements of our customers, it is necessary that Shimano organises the logistics chain in a future-proof way. This requires the most modern processes, information systems and flexibility in logistics solutions. Shimano is making the strategic choice to fully focus on its core activities of sales, marketing and service,” says Marc van Rooij, President Shimano Europe Group. 

“A careful process has been organised to select the logistics service provider that may take over the warehouse and logistics activities. Shimano expects to make that choice in the coming months,” says Kim Edwards, manager of corporate communications. 

“Shimano intends to sell the buildings on the Nunspeet location. We are looking for a suitable location in the Nunspeet region for the office employees of Shimano Benelux and Shimano Europe.”

The Shimano warehouse in Turkey will not be impacted, the company said. 

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Deliveries will continue through the Nunspeet distribution centre, until the changes are implemented.