French express carrier Chronopost, part of DPDgroup, has opened a new hub in Courcelles-lès-Lens, near Arras in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France, in which it invested over €6 million to support business growth of customers in the region with a direct connection for national parcel volume flows.
Specialised in express delivery of parcels weighing up to 30kg, La Poste’s subsidiary Chronopost chose Courcelles-lès-Lens to set up its sixth national hub in France combining transit, collection and delivery operations at one site and moved from its former depot located in Brebiéres. The move comes in response to the continuous activity growth in the region (+13% expected in 2015) and to the high demand by local companies such as Ingram, Decathlon, La Redoute and Bernard.
All the parcel flows from the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region and from Benelux will transit via the new site, with the new hub acting as a gateway for imports to and exports from Benelux. The site has the capacity to handle over 60,000 items a day, with a direct connection to depots in Lille and Valenciennes as well as hubs in Chilly-Mazarin, Poitiers, Lyon-Corbas, Le Mans, Roissy for international items and DPD's Mechelen hub for Benelux.
The hub and new depot are strategically located in close proximity to the A1 and A21 motorways and just a few km away from the Arras city centre. This will enable Chronopost to optimise cargo handling and ensure reliable service for early deliveries before 8am, 9am and 10am.
With the new 5,117 sqm site, Chronopost aims to consolidate its operations in sectors such as e-commerce and telecommunication services. It has 330 sqm in office space, 79 loading gates for delivery vehicles and 21 gates for trucks. The one hectare plot of land provides enough space to extend the premises in anticipation of further growth.
The hub and the depot feature the latest sorting technology with an automatic cross-belt sorting system which has the capacity to handle 8,000 parcels an hour, suitable for delivery, collection and sorting processes. The sorting machine also features a dedicated area for processing small items (envelopes, bags, etc.). The site also houses a modern control room fitted with screens for controlling the sorters, monitoring traffic in real-time and providing video surveillance.
Currently, the depot employs 49 people. Chronopost has made a long-term commitment to the facility by signing a 12-year lease.
In the Nord-Pas de Calais region, the company has three operational sites located in Lille, Arras and Valenciennes employing more than 100 staff. The three sites process an average of 81,500 parcels a day with 372 daily delivery rounds.
The new northern hub is part of Chronopost’s 82 operational sites and fits well into its overall strategy related to urban logistics.
