GLS Germany is increasing its transport and sorting capacities in the busy pre-Christmas period with two new depots, seven additional delivery bases and 1,000 temporary workers as it handles on average 30% more parcels in the last three months before Christmas.
The new depot in Passau, Bavaria is taking over the delivery tours from the GLS site in Straubing. The second depot in Meppen, Lower Saxony, relieves the pressure off the depots in Oldenburg and near Osnabrück.
“The parcel volumes are increasing. With the additional sites, GLS ensures high quality in handling and reduces the transit times for customers and recipients. At the same time, the delivery drivers of the transport companies benefit from shorter delivery rounds,” the company explained.
In addition, seven delivery bases have been opened where neighbouring depots store pre-sorted shipping volumes. This way, the delivery drivers can start distributing parcels directly in the delivery area.
The company also invested in the expansion of regional hubs and depots and is strengthening its internal processes with 1,000 temporary workers to start the sorting operations earlier in the day, sometimes already at midnight.
For rapid transportation between depots, GLS has adapted its network with additional delivery routes to keep the usual delivery time within Germany at 24 hours even during the peak season. On the peak days, additional vehicles are available also on Saturdays, if needed.
With the additional depots, delivery bases, routes, workers and vehicles, the company is preparing for the usual increase in parcel volumes of 30% on average in the three months before Christmas. More and more parcels are sent to private households, which requires a high degree of flexibility in delivery, GLS stressed.
Martin Seidenberg, GLS Germany managing director, commented: “With enough cargo capacity and manpower, we are well prepared for the busiest time of the year and will make sure that the parcels of our customers arrive quickly and reliably."
