General Planning, Supply Chain
Automotive
Construction of a Modern Catalyst Factory in Poland
Location Search
Optimal location search for production and logistics - what makes a site selection sustainable?
In the industrial and logistics sectors, the right location is crucial for competitiveness and security of supply. The search for a location for your company has far-reaching consequences and a long-term binding effect. It must therefore be prepared with particular care.
For more than 25 years, we have been successfully supporting companies from various sectors in their location decisions. For setting up, relocating, expanding, dividing up or adapting production and for opening up new markets.
Have the entire process accompanied by Metroplan
We offer you everything from a single source – from demand analysis and the economic efficiency of location options to the finished building at the new location – throughout Germany and internationally. Throughout the entire site search process, we accompany you from the owner's or investor's perspective to ensure that you make the best possible decision.
- Phase 1: Business planning and economic efficiency analysis for the new location
- Phase 2: Location analysis and selection
- Phase 3: General and factory planning, tender management and permits
- Phase 4: Construction supervision, acceptance and commissioning
Site Selection – structured and transparent
In the first step, we determine your basic requirements and plan the capacities. We take stock of existing production capacities and analyse growth plans and relocation impulses with you. In preparation for the location search, we work with you to define the location criteria and draw up a comprehensive catalog of requirements.
Analyze and evaluate options
The search for a location, analysis and selection then follows the principle "from large to small". We first identify countries that match your requirements, then regions and finally municipalities and plots. Several options are analyzed and evaluated at each of these levels. Several alternatives improve the negotiating position, especially when selecting the final plot, ensure fair market prices and give the entire selection and decision-making process transparency and audit security.
All the necessary information and data is based on current statistics, databases, market and location reports, which we critically evaluate and supplement with our own surveys and analyses.
Our analyses focus on the following areas in particular:
- Labour market: Labour availability, education and qualifications, labour market conditions and wage costs
- Energy: Energy source, costs
- Infrastructure: Airports, motorways, transport costs and times, local connections to the road network, media connections (energy, water, waste water)
- Building costs: Purchase prices of plots and buildings, rents, construction costs, operating and administrative costs
- Bureaucracy: Authorization requirements and times, other legal aspects, welcoming culture, willingness to solve problems
- Public finances: Taxes, levies, subsidies
- Political stability: Political orientation, trade agreements at country level, investment environment
- Industry footprint: Existing industries, largest companies
Experience has shown that the costs for personnel, including all taxes and duties, play the biggest role among these points, followed by the outbound and logistics costs incurred when delivering the goods to the customer. The acquisition costs for such buildings are also significant, but less so than is usually assumed.
Gain personal impressions on site
When comparing regions, but at the latest at municipal level, we work with you to gain a personal impression on site. This is the only way to assess whether you feel welcome as an entrepreneur and investor. Personal contacts with the most important local players, a relationship based on partnership and mutual trust are the best prerequisites for support in overcoming any bureaucratic hurdles and other obstacles.
Opportunities as a first mover
We start each of our location searches from scratch with a blank sheet of paper instead of relying solely on market reports and location rankings. This gives us the opportunity to identify previously undiscovered but attractive locations where it is worth setting up as a first mover or early bird.
Experience has shown that these locations offer potential through lower purchase prices for plots and buildings, lower construction costs and rents, less competition for labour and lower labour costs due to cheaper rents and living costs. Local support in the planning, approval and construction of the new production site is also usually significantly greater than at sites that have already reached or passed their maturity phase.
Trust through projects
Our success stories
Supply Chain, General Planning
Electrical Engineering
Planning of an Electronics Production Facility in Debrecen
Factory Planning, Supply Chain, General Planning
Consumer & Food
New Production Site in Poland for Pet Food
FAQs about Site Selection
Which factors are most important when looking for a location?
The search for a location depends on several factors, including external and internal factors. The internal factors always lead to different results. While external factors such as the availability of skilled labor, logistics connections, energy costs, land prices and tax conditions are always similar, corporate strategies are often different. Accordingly, the weighting of these factors can vary depending on the corporate strategy.
How long does the site search process take?
The duration varies depending on the complexity of the project. As a rule, the site search including analysis, planning and decision-making process takes many months. For international projects in particular, the process can take up to a year.
What are the most common mistakes when deciding on a location?
Typical mistakes include inadequate market analysis, underestimating infrastructure costs, failing to take legal requirements into account and insufficient consideration of future growth plans.
I already have a location preference, how can Metroplan help with the location analysis?
Even if you already have a preferred region or a specific plot of land in mind, we will check for you whether this location is economically, strategically and logistically optimal. Our experts analyze location factors such as workforce availability, infrastructure, cost structures and legal framework conditions. We also check technical feasibility in the form of technical due diligence and compare alternative options to ensure that your decision is the best choice in the long term.
Which regions are currently particularly attractive for companies?
Attractive regions depend heavily on the sector and individual requirements. For logistics, regions with good freeway connections, proximity to large distribution centers and moderate wage costs continue to be advantageous. Production companies often prefer locations with skilled labor potential, a stable energy supply and funding opportunities. Eastern Europe is gaining in importance due to low production costs, while Germany continues to offer attractive clusters for high-tech, the automotive industry and sustainable production.
Which location factors are particularly decisive for logistics, production and industry?
The most important location factors depend on the use:
- Logistics: transport connections (highways, ports, airports), storage and transportation costs, proximity to customers.
- Production: availability of labor, energy costs, approval requirements, infrastructure for raw material supply.
- Industry: taxes and subsidies, political stability, long-term scalability, environmental regulations. Metroplan evaluates all of these factors in a comprehensive site analysis to help you make the best decision.
Dr. Manuel Schrapers
Managing Director
Tim Aßmann
Senior Manager
