DHL Express has opened a new €3 million depot in Strasbourg as part of the company’s ongoing €30 million investment in the modernisation of 17 out of its 40 operational sites in France and in response to increased volumes in the region.
The new facility in the capital of Alsace covers 2,200 sqm doubling the site of the previous 1,000 sqm facility which was moved from Mundolsheim in the north of Strasbourg to Geispolsheim, located in the south of the city. The site was specifically designed for DHL in close consultation with engineers to optimise all operational processes. It employs 34 workers, with four new employees to join the site by the end of the year, and nine transport partners. DHL operates 30 delivery routes from here on a daily basis.
With this expansion move, the company is responding to its strong growth at the Strasbourg depot with volumes at the site having doubled in five years. With e-commerce growth, deliveries to private customers should increase by 20% in 2015 compared to 2014, the company forecast.
Today, the Strasbourg depot is key for DHL’s express deliveries in Alsace handling nearly 4,000 parcels (export: 2,200, import: 1,700) per day from and to all global destinations thanks to the daily air connections. The main trade flows are with Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, the UK, Norway, Sweden and the American continent.
The new depot features advanced technology like all the other DHL France depots that are being either expanded or replaced with larger ones, to optimise parcel handling. The site benefits from a mechanised and semi-automated parcel sorting system which can handle up to 3,000 parcels per hour.
The depot is also equipped with wi-fi scanning technology to identify parcels in real time offering instant tracking of shipments delivered to customers. It also benefits from direct loading/unloading of trucks next to the sorting system to optimise the handling process and time of parcels.
This loading equipment consists of several removable modules which allow staff to load the vehicles directly without having to bring them back to the warehouse. Each module has a door on each side. The driver thus picks up the parcels at the end of the sorting chain and then returns to the vehicle on the way back. This results in time savings for the drivers who can leave earlier for deliveries while offering later pick-up times for customers.
“This new site, situated in a strategic region for our company, is part of our overall plan to support our growth in France. It has been developed with engineers to optimise tasks for workers and their working conditions. It represents a pilot depot in this sense: an example for France and other countries,” DHL Express France managing director Michel Akavi said.
“We are adapting our processes and infrastructure to the changing flows we handle: increasingly heavier and bulky parcels but also a strong increase in deliveries in France to individuals. In Alsace, our deliveries to private customers are growing strongly with one out of three parcels being sent to individuals in 2015 compared to one out of four in 2014. In response, we have developed collaborations with retail points, now counting 82 in Alsace,” he added.
DHL Express is celebrating its 30th anniversary in Alsace. The company established its first depot in Mulhouse in 1985, followed by the second one in Strasbourg in 1986. In 2014, the volumes transported by these two regional agencies increased by 8% compared to 2013 (+12% for exports, +7% for imports). In 2015, the growth is further accelerating with a 13% increase (+14% for exports, +8 for imports) in parcel volumes registered at the end of May 2015 compared to the same period last year.
