LKQ Europe opens new LKQ Innovation and Service Center in Katowice to drive its digital transformation

Katowice, Poland. On July 1, 2021, the new LKQ Innovation and Service Center in Katowice, Poland started operations. Today, more than 30 colleagues, including digital experts are already driving LKQ Europe’s digital transformation at the new site. It is planned to grow the team to 250 highly qualified employees over the next years.

LKQ Europe expects ongoing dynamic growth in the Central Eastern European region. Demographic developments, fast-changing consumer habits, as well as future technology adoption rates have created a need for agile and adaptable business structures. With Poland being one of the most important markets in the region, LKQ Europe is responding to these trends by increasing its footprint not only with the new center today, but also with a logistics network hub in the near future.

After a diligent selection process, the city of Katowice was a logical choice for the new LKQ Innovation and Service Center – an aspiring city in the center of the Silesia metropolitan region and a flourishing business place, that is transforming from an industrial past to a digital future.

“With our LKQ Innovation and Service Center, LKQ Europe installs a digital hub in one of its key growth markets to drive customer-centric digital solutions throughout Europe. By developing and testing advanced digital offerings for customers across Europe, the new facility in Poland will be a catalyst for our innovation and digitalization strategy. In addition to that, we will increase efficiency in our business and realize significant cost savings by digitalizing, streamlining and standardizing internal and administrative processes in one European center with a high level of quality, thus accelerating LKQ Europe’s digital transformation for the Aftermarket of the future”, says Arnd Franz, CEO of LKQ Europe. “Katowice will enable us to make our business more agile, international and cost-efficient,” says Yanik Cantieni, CFO of LKQ Europe.

Katowice will enable us to make our business more agile, international and cost-efficient. 

Yanik Cantieni
CFO of LKQ Europe 

Creating a best-in-class customer experience across Europe

The new LKQ Innovation and Service Center will support LKQ Europe’s ambition of creating a best-in-class experience for all its customers by offering a wide range of innovative digital products and solutions. This will include digital mobility services, like app-based all-in-one solutions along with many more opportunities to utilize digital technologies. 

New connected garage management systems, advanced digital B2B customer portals, new E-commerce solutions, specialized E-learning platforms for customers and suppliers, and on-demand systems, all based on a common technology platform, will ensure that LKQ Europe remains at the cutting-edge of technology in its sector.

Offering attractive opportunities for digital natives and qualified digital experts

A state-of-the-art work environment in an international atmosphere and remote working opportunities will attract the most qualified digital experts from the region. Computer science innovators, system and application engineers, software developers, IT infrastructure operators and administrative experts will lead and direct the digital experience with an international mindset.

Accelerating our growth strategy to foster a leading market position

The Katowice facility comes in addition to LKQ Europe’s already very successfully established operations in Bangalore, India. All LKQ Europe regions will use the innovation strengths of the new LKQ Innovation and Service Center and can bundle tasks in one of these two centers. With Katowice and Bangalore, LKQ Europe will be able to develop future technologies for even more innovative services for its customers and to continue the LKQ Europe growth and success story.

About LKQ Europe

LKQ Europe, a subsidiary of LKQ Corporation, with its head office in Zug, Switzerland, is the leading distributor of automotive aftermarket parts for cars, commercial vans and industrial vehicles in Europe. It currently employs approximately 26,000 people with a network of 1,000 branches and approximately USD 5.5 billion in revenue in 2020. The organization supplies around 100,000 independent workshops in over 20 European countries. The group includes Euro Car Parts, Fource, RHIAG Group, Elit, Auto Kelly, and STAHLGRUBER Group, as well as recycling specialist, Atracco. LKQ also holds a minority interest in Mekonomen Group.