New DHL logistics facility launched at Hanover Airport

DHL Express Germany officially opened its new US$37 million facility at Hanover Airport yesterday.

Two formerly separate sort facilities (one handling time definite shipments for national road and international air networks, the other handling day-definite shipments for the European road network, are now consolidated within an overall floor space of about 30,000 square meters.

Wolfgang P. Albeck, chairman of the divisional board of DHL Express Germany reported that the facility housed an “overall production space of about 6,000 square meters. This represents a doubling of the space previously available. Apart from that we have integrated a fully automated sort that is able to process 6,000 parcels per hour.”  Albeck added that “this allows us to harmonize production processes for the different service offerings in a way that all three shipment flows can be processed simultaneously by the same system.”

The company employs about 200 workers at the site, where workplaces are equipped according to the latest ergonomic standards, the company reported. The center operates through four ‘fingers,’ each with direct loading and unloading capabilities. Express shipments are transported automatically to the appropriate gate via an automated sort, which allows drivers to load their vehicles with less physical effort.

The new facility in Hanover is part of an extensive development program by the mail and logistics company in Germany. This latest news comes in the wake of similar upgrades throughout the country in cities such as Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Freiburg and Mannheim.