Shimano (Japan) to distribute cycling parts from Flanders

20,000 square meters. That’s how big Shimano’s new European distribution center will be as it moves from Nunspeet in the Netherlands to Tessenderlo in Flanders. At the site, Shimano will also modernize its logistics approach. “We used to do everything ourselves,” explains Lieven Bisschop, manager of Shimano Belgium. “Now, we are working with a logistics specialist: Kuehne+Nagel.”

The project includes the introduction of a high degree of automation and flexibility, adapted to the growing e-commerce business market. The modern warehouse, which is scheduled to become operational in 2023, will welcome about 50 new employees.

“The warehouse is designed for future growth within a high-potential market where the demand for bicycles continues to be on the rise,” Bisschop adds. This growth is fueled by a number of different trends. The COVID pandemic, for example, made numerous people take up cycling as a hobby. But even after the COVID lockdowns had ended in Europe, demand remained strong. More and more city dwellers are swapping cars or public transport for bicycles. Meanwhile, e-bikes are now also breaking through in countries where cycling wasn’t very popular for a long time.

Shimano and Kuehne+Nagel’s new project is not the first co-investment by a foreign company and an international logistics services provider to make headlines in Flanders. In 2021, Bleckmann was co-nominated for the Foreign Investment of the Year Trophy of Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) after a joint investment with British sportswear brand Gymshark. Together, the two companies built a cutting-edge distribution center in the town of Rieme (Flanders).