DHL Express opens new €230 million Leipzig sorting centre

by Payload Asia

DHL, a global leader in international express services, today officially opened the new sorting centre at its express hub in Leipzig. The state-of-the-art sorting facility can now handle bulkier and heavier shipments which are sorted on a fully automated basis at Europe’s most modern shipment sorting facility.

The investment of €230 million to expand the European hub has boosted the processing capacity of DHL at the site by about 50 per cent to 150,000 shipments per hour.

“The successful launch of our expanded hub and the new sorting facility is a further step that reinforces the importance of Leipzig as our main European express hub,” said Frank Appel, CEO of Deutsche Post DHL Group, at an opening ceremony on 12 October.

The further expansion of the modern hub underscores Leipzig’s prominent position within DHL’s global network and reflects the company’s response to continued dynamic growth in the international express delivery business. The new sorting technology is the first of its kind in the industry. It consists of a combination of various innovative conveyor technologies, enabling the fully automated handling of packages with a weight of up to 170 kilograms, which would otherwise be too heavy or bulky for standard conveyor belts.

“The expansion of our capacity and particularly the introduction of our new sorting technology provide our customers with two crucial advantages: even more reliability at an even greater speed,” said Ralph Wondrak, managing director of DHL Leipzig Hub.

“Through our investment, we are able not only to increase the daily capacity of our flights but also to further improve our efficiency. We are ensuring that Leipzig will continue to play a central role in the world of global trade.”

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DHL Express has invested a total of €655 million in the Leipzig hub, including the costs for the upgrade.

The new expansion is a strong reflection of the importance of Leipzig Hub to trade activities within Europe and throughout the world. The expansion covers a total area of 44,000 square metres, of which 40,000 square meters is dedicated to the warehouse building and 4,000 square metres to modern office facilities.