Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Poland is strengthening its position as a European destination for industrial investment, but the requirements determining where companies establish new operations are changing. Road connections, labour costs and available property remain important, while electricity capacity, automation potential and digital infrastructure are becoming increasingly relevant for manufacturers and logistics operators planning more technologically intensive facilities.
The change is better understood as an evolution of the nearshoring model than the emergence of a separate investment category. There is insufficient evidence that “techshoring” has become an established term among international investors. What can be demonstrated is that the technical capabilities of locations and buildings are becoming more important as production, distribution and supply chains become increasingly automated.
Poland enters this transition from a relatively strong position. EY’s European Attractiveness Survey 2026 recorded 285 foreign investment projects in Poland in 2025, an increase of 10% year-on-year, while the number of projects announced across Europe declined by 7%. Investment activity is also shifting towards areas including artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, defence and energy, increasing the importance of infrastructure capable of supporting more technologically demanding operations.
PAIH data provide further evidence of this changing investment profile. The agency completed 64 supported investment projects in 2025 with declared expenditure exceeding EUR 4 billion. Manufacturing accounted for 42 projects worth more than EUR 3.6 billion, with increasingly capital-intensive and automated production contributing to the scale of investment.
For industrial property, this matters because increasingly sophisticated operations require more from buildings than conventional storage and distribution. Automated storage systems, robotics, advanced production equipment, electric vehicle infrastructure, refrigeration and digitally managed logistics can increase electricity requirements while creating greater dependence on connectivity and systems integration.
“Just a few years ago, investors were primarily asking about warehouse clear height or the number of loading docks, while discussions focused on location and rental costs. Today, questions about power availability, a facility’s readiness for automation, systems integration and the ability to scale operations are becoming just as common. Poland is no longer competing solely on warehouse space, where we may soon see a supply gap, but on the entire business environment it can offer,” says Igor Roguski, Partner at real estate advisory firm SQM Advisory.
The possibility of a supply gap represents Roguski’s assessment rather than an established nationwide shortage. Nevertheless, the wider market data point towards tighter conditions. Poland’s warehouse development pipeline has fallen considerably from previous peaks while occupier demand strengthened during the first half of 2026. This makes the specification and adaptability of existing stock increasingly important.
Technology has been influencing warehouse design for several years. JLL research published in 2022 found smart technologies and automation among the factors expected to have the greatest influence on future Polish logistics facilities. Although those figures should not be presented as current 2026 market measurements, subsequent developments suggest that the direction anticipated by the research is becoming increasingly relevant.
The implications extend to existing properties. A warehouse can remain structurally sound while becoming less suitable for technologically demanding occupiers if it cannot provide sufficient electricity, accommodate automation or be economically upgraded for more sophisticated operations.
Power could prove particularly important. Advanced manufacturing, automated logistics, refrigeration and data-intensive operations can require substantially greater electrical capacity than conventional warehouses. Developers consequently need to establish not only whether suitable land is available, but whether sufficient power can be secured within an occupier’s investment timetable.
This changes the economics of industrial land. Two sites with similar motorway access and labour availability may have substantially different investment potential if one can secure the necessary grid connection significantly faster than the other. Electricity availability can therefore become part of the commercial value of the location itself.
The transformation is also relevant to Poland’s competition for Asian investment, although the evidence requires qualification.
There is strong evidence that Asian companies form an important part of Poland’s increasingly sophisticated industrial base. South Korea is particularly significant, with companies investing in batteries, automotive components, electronics and other advanced manufacturing industries. PAIH describes South Korea as Poland’s largest non-European foreign investor and has supported 74 Korean projects since 2002 representing approximately EUR 7.8 billion of investment.
Poland is also pursuing further technology investment from Japan, Taiwan, China and other Asian markets. Areas of interest increasingly include electromobility, electronics, energy infrastructure, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing.
This supports the argument that Poland is competing for a more technologically demanding category of Asian investment. It does not, however, demonstrate that Asian investors collectively choose Poland primarily because of its digital infrastructure.
That distinction is important. South Korean battery manufacturers, Taiwanese electronics groups, Japanese industrial companies and Chinese manufacturers have different requirements and cannot reasonably be treated as a single investor category. Cost, market access, labour, supply chains, government incentives and infrastructure can all influence individual investment decisions.
The more defensible conclusion is that Poland is attracting Asian companies operating in increasingly sophisticated industries, and those activities can require more technically advanced real estate than conventional warehouse operations.
German investment research provides another indication that location decisions are becoming more complex. KPMG’s German-CEE Business Outlook 2026 found that 56% of German companies planning investment in Central and Eastern Europe identified Poland as a destination. However, the research does not support the argument that technology has replaced cost and market considerations. Rather, it indicates that artificial intelligence, automation and digital infrastructure are becoming additional strategic priorities.
The evidence therefore points towards evolution rather than replacement. Poland’s established advantages, including its EU location, motorway network, industrial workforce and comparatively competitive operating environment, remain important. Power, automation and digital capabilities are increasingly being added to that list.
This also changes the role of the warehouse itself.
“A warehouse is no longer simply a place to store goods. It is becoming part of a company’s digital operating environment. Investors, including Asian companies, increasingly expect a standard that can be implemented both in a new facility and integrated with existing infrastructure across different countries. Today, the greatest value comes not from the number of systems, but from their integration. For companies operating across multiple markets, proptech is becoming part of their operational infrastructure rather than an add-on to the building,” says Maciej Grabowski, Founder of Polish proptech company Blue Bolt.
Grabowski’s observation about Asian occupiers should be viewed as an industry perspective rather than evidence that all Asian investors apply the same criteria. His broader point about integration, however, reflects an important change for property owners: technology is increasingly connected with the operation of the occupier’s business rather than simply the management of the building.
That creates a potential new form of industrial obsolescence. Traditionally, warehouse competitiveness has been assessed through factors including location, age, clear height, loading capacity and rent. Increasingly, investors may also need to consider electrical capacity, connectivity, automation readiness and the cost of future upgrades.
An older warehouse in an excellent logistics location could remain competitive if it can be adapted. A relatively modern property with inadequate power or limited potential for automation could face a different outlook.
The same considerations are likely to influence development strategies. Electricity requirements, automation layouts, charging infrastructure, data connectivity and energy-management systems may increasingly need to be understood before construction begins rather than installed later as occupier modifications.
Advanced manufacturing makes this particularly important. Battery, electronics and semiconductor-related projects can require specialised utilities, resilient electricity supplies and technical infrastructure considerably beyond conventional logistics specifications. In these sectors, the suitability of the infrastructure surrounding a building can become as important as the building itself.
Poland’s recent investment performance suggests that it has an opportunity to benefit from this transition. Its manufacturing base is expanding into more capital-intensive activities, while Asian and European investors continue to consider the country for new industrial projects.
The challenge will be ensuring that infrastructure develops at the same pace as occupier requirements. Poland’s success in building one of Europe’s largest modern warehouse markets does not automatically guarantee that every industrial location will be suitable for the next generation of automated manufacturing and logistics.
For developers and investors, this means the definition of a prime industrial property may gradually change. Motorway access, labour availability and competitive rent will remain fundamental, but buildings capable of providing sufficient power, connectivity, automation capacity and future adaptability could increasingly command an advantage.
Poland’s industrial investment story is therefore moving beyond the question of how much warehouse space can be delivered. The more important issue is whether its industrial property and surrounding infrastructure can support the increasingly automated and technology-intensive companies competing for locations across Europe.
If that transition continues, the next divide in the industrial property market may not simply be between new and old buildings or prime and secondary locations. It could increasingly be between properties capable of becoming part of an occupier’s digital and automated operating infrastructure and those that remain, in technological terms, little more than places to store goods.
