The aim of the paper is to discuss reasons and barriers to Tier 1 suppliers and customers of the SME sector in Poland focusing on the Łódzkie Province. The first part of the work provides theoretical approach to the identification of circumstances conditioning the development of logistics networks relying on subject-matter literature and data from the reports of Bundesvereinigung Logistik (BVL). The second part of the paper contains author's questionnaire based studies of reasons and barriers to the development of logistics networks in the SME sector in the Łódzkie Province and the characteristics of companies from the SME sector participating in the studies.