Sites Integrated into Their Surroundings: Warehouses Have Changed Dramatically

Do you know how warehouses work ? To showcase these essential yet little-known workings of our economy, Afilog will organize the second edition of “La Semaine de la Logistique” from November 16 to 19, 2022. As in the first edition in 2021, some of the association’s members will open the doors of their facilities to local residents, students, elected officials and others for guided tours… 

 “Warehouses are a kind of invisible activity, even though they have become the heart of the distribution system in developed countries,” observes Antoine Frémont, Professor and holder of the Chair in Transport, Flows and Sustainable Mobility at CNAM. For every consumer, virtually every product passes through warehouses, whether it is a pot of yogurt at the supermarket or a parcel in their mailbox. ” He points to the contradiction faced by (almost) every citizen-consumer: “I make purchases very naturally, but I do not realize the activity behind them. Yet when that activity affects me, I am bothered. It is therefore necessary to open warehouses to the public and explain what happens there. ”

Jonathan Sebbane agrees. The CEO of Sogaris—a specialist in urban logistics real estate, with 700,000 m² of warehouses in France, primarily in Greater Paris—recalls that “while warehouses were long made invisible as an economic function of society, recent years have highlighted the importance of logistics in supplying cities. ”

“Unlike a truck, a warehouse is fixed. It is rooted in a place, even though its function is to create networks,” Antoine Frémont recalls. “Integration into the location is fundamental, whether it is an isolated warehouse or a logistics park with many warehouses. ” Interaction with stakeholders—elected officials and citizens—is necessary, since logistics is part of everyone’s life, and, for the CNAM professor, logistics professionals must take the first step: “The operators of these warehouses need to make an educational effort to open up to the public, both to gather people’s views during open days and to advance the issue of a warehouse that is viable and sustainable in its local integration as well. ” Logistics Week follows this approach. “It brings together professionals’ interest in making their work better known and the public’s desire to understand it,” Jonathan Sebbane notes. For Sogaris, the aim of these visits was to “showcase expertise, but also demonstrate the importance of logistics in all its forms. ”

Operationally, to organize this type of visit for the public or institutions, Sogaris works closely with the warehouse operator—“If we look at a warehouse without the person operating it, we have only half the picture. They remain best placed to explain how their site works,” Jonathan Sebbane insists. Each visitor is provided with personal protective equipment and accompanied while moving around the site. “Everyone leaves satisfied, which brings recognition to our industry as well as to the women and men working in transport, logistics and distribution.”

With several flagship warehouses, sometimes recognized with MIPIM Awards, such as Chapelle International and P4 Porte de Pantin, Sogaris is accustomed to opening its doors to the public. But its CEO also wants to open its buildings up to the city. An open-air art gallery featuring street artists has therefore been created on the façades of Sogaris warehouses in Pantin and Rungis, visible to tram users. The creators who helped beautify the sites include Cart One and Miquel Wert. “Better landscape integration helps increase the acceptability of our warehouses,” Jonathan Sebbane observes. It also fosters dialogue with stakeholders.