DHL Express and FedEx Express have each expanded their operations in France with new depots inBordeaux.
DHL Express has opened a 2,000 sqm site at Bordeaux-Merignac International Airport after threemonths of construction. Double the size of the previous facility, the modernised site handlesnearly 2,000 parcels daily. Located at the airport with direct access to the runways, this key sitefor air express transportation responds to the company’s growing shipping volumes in theregion.
DHL Express France CEO Florence Noblot said: “We continue investing to strengthen our network inFrance: 15 sites were moved or redeveloped in 2011 and we expect 12 movements or reconstructions in2012. The Bordeaux depot is strategically important for our French network. This investment allowsus to improve our service quality and meet the growth in regional volumes. Thereby, we assist ourcustomers in their international development with a platform featuring state-of-the-art technologywhich allows us to save time in order to optimise our delivery times and shipment tracking.”
The refurbished site processes a daily average of seven tons of cargo for import, mainly between6-9 am, and four tons for export, mainly between 17.30-20 pm. The parcels are transported via aB757 freighter on the daily route Leipzig-Nantes-Bordeaux and back.
The facility in Bordeaux employs 26 staff and operates 14 vehicles, with 40 km covered viatricycles each day. DHL Express was the first company to deploy tricycles in Bordeaux in 2005. In2011, around 14,000 parcels were delivered via tricycles covering 6,300 km which equals around 570liters of fuel saved and 1,500 kg of green house gases prevented.
Separately, FedEx has opened a new 1,000 sqm depot in Bordeaux serving the Aquitaine regionwhich is its tenth new facility in France since October 2011. Linked to the FedEx European hub atRoissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport through road and air networks, the facility has received the ISO14001:2004 certification for its environmental management. It operates 12 FedEx vans and created 13jobs in the region.
The Aquitaine region has a well-developed transport infrastructure, a dense and diverse economicbase with more than 400 international companies located in the region now benefitting from greaterconnectivity to a diverse range of markets around the world.
“Bordeaux is a dynamic and attractive city for companies and businesses located in theSouth-West of France and is connected to 50 European cities, 24 international flight routes and 300ports around the world,” Dirk van Impe, Managing Director, Operations, FedEx Express France, said. “ Our new station makes it easy for more than 100,000 businesses located in the city to connect andtrade with global markets in the shortest time possible.”
