GLS has opened two new eco-depots in Belgium and Germany after investing some €18 million in thenew facilities.
In Belgium, the parcels company has started operating its first eco-depot in the country,located in Puurs, a municipality in the province of Antwerp, changing the site to a new transportsystem at the same time.
GLS has invested €10 million in the model depot with an area of 3,650 sqm and the capacity tohandle up to 50,000 parcels in future on a daily basis. The facility replaces the other depots inAntwerp and Vilvoorde, which are considerably smaller and couldn’t be extended any further.
With 115 gates for delivery vehicles and 30 for the linehaul trucks, the Puurs depot servesthe provinces of Antwerp and Flemish Brabant and is one of the company’s most important depots inEurope.
The construction of the hall and the equipment comply with the modern standards of GLS,including the scanning technology and transportation within the security systems consideringecological aspects. Various measures are in line with the GLS environmental initiative Think Greeneffectively allowing for the resources to be used in a sustainable way while also deliveringeconomic advantages. A heat pump used as a primary heating source reduces CO2 emissions and savesaround 40 per cent in operating costs. The rainwater harvesting system with associated seepingareas halves water consumption. Finally, a photovoltaic system on the roof will eventually supplycurrent into the local grid.
In addition to sustainable construction of its buildings, GLS is also innovating in terms oforganisation, thus increasing the ecological efficiency of its services. Most of the trucks will nolonger drive through the Brussels hub but will head directly to the destination depot, whether inBelgium or abroad.
“This major methodical change providing a direct route without transshipment is possible andsensible given that the parcel volumes have strongly increased, with a good vehicle utilisation,”Luc de Schrijver, General Manager, GLS Belgium and Luxembourg, explained. If the volumes remainlike that, this concept will be applied to other GLS sites in Belgium.
Meanwhile, in Germany, GLS has started operating a new €8 million eco-depot close to Munich,with the capacity to handle up to 30,000 parcels daily while creating new jobs in the region. Thisis the eleventh eco-depot of GLS group-wide and the fifth in Germany.
On a total area of 28,000 sqm in the industrial estate of Geretsried-Gelting near Munich, GLShas constructed a transfer station with a ground area of 3,300 sqm. The hall has six long-distancetraffic gates and 73 local traffic gates. The site and the hall concept provide plenty of space forfuture expansion. The depot in Geretsried replaces the previous facility in Sauerlach taking overits tours in the surrounding communities in the south of Munich.
“We have not only expanded the capacity but also created 30 additional jobs with the newparcel sorting centre,” Klaus Conrad, Managing Director, GLS Germany, said.
The new depot meets the high standards of GLS Germany with a powerful conveyor technology anda modern security system guaranteeing a smooth processing of parcels. ”This way, we ensure aconsistently high quality with a low loss ratio,” Conrad added.
The building is designed in line with the GLS environment initiative Think Green andconstructed according to environmentally optimised criteria. A heat pump system as the primaryheating source reduces not only the CO2 emissions but also the operating costs. There is a devicefor using rainwater as process water while the hall mainly consists of recyclable steel andsandwich panels.
