DHL has opened a new parcel sorting centre in Germany which will eventually be able to sort 50,000 shipments per hour.
The site in Bochum in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in Germany’s Ruhr region, covers an area of 40,000 square metres.
The centre is currently able to fulfil 20,000 orders per hour but this will rise to the full capacity of 50,000 in 2020. It will eventually employ 600 new staff.
DHL designed the site to be as energy-efficient as possible. It has its own power station to generate energy, features presence-activated lighting and will later add roof-mounted solar panels. It also offers 35 charging columns for electric vehicles.
DHL said it had invested an undisclosed sum in the hundreds of millions.
Tobias Meyer, board member at Deutsche Post AG, said: “With its high level of sorting performance and use of innovative technology, the Bochum parcel centre is making a major contribution to Deutsche Post DHL’s German parcel network.
“This will enable us to fulfil our service promise to our customers in the region even more reliably as shipment volumes continue to rise. At the same time, we are delighted to be able to create jobs subject to social security contributions and covered by collective agreements at a logistically advantageous location in the Ruhr region and thereby play our part in the development of the region.”
