DHL expands global network and operations with new state-of-the-art European air hub

The hub, one of Europe's largest construction sites, expands DHL's international network, providing greater connectivity to global growth markets and enabling DHL to improve its overall customer service.

The site was opened by John Mullen, Chief Executive Officer of DHL Express who was joined by Frank Appel, Chairman of the Managing Board of Deutsche Post World Net, Scott Price, Chief Executive Officer of DHL Express Europe and several German Ministers including the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs and Vice-Chancellor Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Commenting on the opening, John Mullen, Chief Executive Officer of DHL Express said: "Demand for Express services is growing worldwide and we took the decision to invest in our international network in order to meet this need. The state-of-the-art new hub will enable us to continue to offer the best possible service, quality and reach for our customers. It is not only one of the industry's most technically advanced hubs, with some of the world's most sophisticated sorting equipment, but it will also protect and strengthen our leading position in the European, and indeed global, express market."

Approximately 300 million Euros have been invested by Deutsche Post World Net in the construction of the DHL air freight hub Leipzig/Halle which enhances DHL's speed, connectivity and reach in a number of ways. It is situated at a crossroads to provide direct North-South and East-West access to Europe, and connects both established and emerging markets in Central and Eastern Europe and Asia.

The decisive criteria for the choice of location were the position of the airport, its proximity to growth markets in Eastern Europe, the long-term planning security with comprehensive authorization for night-time flights, the wealth of motivated and highly qualified locally-based personnel, and impressive infrastructure which allows for a future-oriented combination of the carriers air, road and rail.

Scott Price, Chief Executive Officer, DHL Express Europe added; "Due to the relocation of our European super-hub, we are now able to offer minimized shipment running time and also offer our newest prime express services on more trade lanes than ever before, with improved access to Eastern Europe and Asia."

The hub comprises a distribution center - the largest and most modern sorting line in Germany - an aircraft hangar, apron, tank station and administration building. The amount of freight transshipped every working day is currently around 1,500 tons per night but by 2012 this figure is set to rise to 2,000 tons.

Leipzig is the first DHL facility able to meet its needs for electricity, heating and cooling energy, to a large extent self-sufficiently. This is ensured by a cogeneration unit for combined heat and power generation, together with 1,000 square meters of solar cells on the roof of the hangar workshop for the generation of electricity from solar energy. In addition, two underground cisterns, with a capacity of 300 cubic meters each collecting around 3,000 cubic meters of rain water each year, will be used instead of drinking water to wash the aircraft.

John Mullen concluded; "The success of the DHL business can be attributed to many factors but one that is particularly important in the current climate is our ability to effectively adapt. At present we are focused on implementing different initiatives to help preserve our environment. DHL Express was the first company in the logistics sector to actively set a specific carbon efficiency target and as a result, we have implemented a number of environmentally-compatible operations at the new hub to help us achieve greater sustainability in the future."