D/PL – Weber-Stephen opened its first production location outside of the United States on October 8, 2021. The barbecue specialist, who also sells its products on the promotional products market will in future be manufacturing high-quality barbecues in Zabrze, Poland, on premises spanning around 50,000 m². Whereby the focus lies on coal and gas grills that are to be produced on-site in volumes of several tens of thousands annually. To tackle this pending task, the headcount will be increased from the current 200 employees up to 450 in total. The new location additionally disposes of a Weber Grill Academy Experience Center and several green areas, which can be used in manifold ways by the team members.
According to company accounts, the production in Zabrze reinforces the logistics of Weber-Stephen in Europe. “Our new production and sales centre is an important milestone for further sustainable growth in Europe and throughout the globe,” said Chris Scherzinger, Chief Executive Officer of Weber-Stephen. A key element of the growth plans is the “make-where-we-sell” strategy. This approach concentrates on producing high-quality Weber barbecue items closer to the retail customers and consumers which will in turn improve the delivery and service lead-times. Scherzinger: “Furthermore, we gain considerable operating efficiency and a new degree of flexibility as a result which allows us to react to the dynamics and needs of the local market.”
