trans-o-flex adds two new depots in Germany and central hub in Netherlands

German express company trans-o-flex is expanding its network with a new central hub in n’Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, and two new depots in Bavaria and Brandenburg, Germany, on time for the

Located in the southern Netherlands, some 80 km south of Amsterdam, the new hub in n’Hertogenbosch (also known as Den Bosch), bundles and accelerates on the one hand the transport andsorting flows for trans-o-flex shipments in the Netherlands. On the other hand, it reduces theworkload at the German sites in Cologne and Duisburg from where the goods had been previouslycollected in Belgium and the Netherlands and fed into the German network. At the same time, Colognehas served as the gateway for shipments to the Netherlands.

This month, the hub in Den Bosch started operating with the takeover of delivery services in themetropolitan area of Eindhoven. From September onwards, it will also become the central deliverypoint for shipments to the Netherlands replacing Cologne. In addition to bundling all transportsfrom Germany to the Netherlands, the shipments are pre-sorted in Den Bosch for various Dutchdelivery locations. Therefore, a fully automatic parcel sorting system had been installed at thefacility with 40 destinations designed for 5,000 packages per hour as a continuous output. The siteis linked to the German transhipment points through 34 direct lines. The 5,000 sqm facility has 20truck doors.

The new depots in Germany will start operating on 3 September. The site in Bergkirchen, locatedin the west of Munich, will reduce the delivery workload for the existing system partner sites oftrans-o-flex in Munich and Augsburg. The 6,800 sqm transshipment terminal has 21 truck gateways andmore than 800 sqm in office space.

The other depot in Trebbin, a town in the east German state of Brandenburg, reduces the workloadfor the site in Berlin. The 4,200 sqm facility has six truck gateways and separate office roomsthat are part of the facility.

Meanwhile, the existing site in Bruchsal, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg,south-western Germany, is being expanded to adjust to rising volumes creating capacity for furthergrowth. The terminal, to be completed by 4 October, will be extended by 1,700 sqm to a total of4,530 sqm which equals a capacity increase of around 60% offering space for additional 12transporters and 10 trucks.

Wolfgang Weber, Managing Director, Operations, at trans-o-flex, said: “With our continuousnetwork expansion and optimisation, we are pursuing the strategy of reducing the workload for theexisting facilities through relatively small sites with capacity for further expansion. We areshortening the routes on the last mile meaning that we can organise express deliveries in an easierway.

In 2010, the trans-o-flex Group, which has a workforce of approximately 1,600 employees,recorded annual sales of €524 million.