New DPD Depot in Holzgünz near Memmingen Begins Operations

 DPD Deutschland GmbH has opened a parcel sorting center in Holzgünz near Memmingen in the Allgäu region. The center focuses on particularly sustainable energy production. In the long term, up to 50,000 parcels will be sorted on-site each day.The new depot replaces the location in Kempten. The entire property covers approximately 54,000 m2.

Holzgünz, January 25, 2021 – Just over a year ago, DPD Deutschland, together with Alois Müller Holding GmbH & Co. KG, celebrated the symbolic groundbreaking of a “green” depot in Holzgünz near Memmingen in the Unterallgäu region. The construction proceeded exactly on schedule: Last Saturday, the new location was officially put into operation. Initially, around 28,000 parcels will run through the sorting lines daily, and in the final expansion, it will be up to 50,000 parcels. A special focus of the Holzgünz location is on sustainability: Thanks to close cooperation with the local Alois Müller Holding GmbH & Co. KG, a depot has been built that can be operated in a particularly cost- and energy-efficient manner.

Particular emphasis on resource-saving solutions

On the approximately 54,000 m2 large property in Holzgünz, a unloading hall, two loading halls, and an office building with a total usable area of nearly 10,000 m2 have been created. The energy center of the “green” DPD depot in Holzgünz was already put into operation at the end of December. The regional Alois Müller Holding GmbH & Co. KG acted as the developer, who is also the landlord of the operating site. During construction, the parties involved placed particular emphasis on resource-saving and energy-efficient solutions. The operational implementation of the construction project was carried out by LIST Bau Nordhorn, a long-standing partner of DPD.

The new DPD depot will be nearly energy self-sufficient. With the help of a photovoltaic system covering approximately 7,000 m2 with a total output of 750 kW, electricity will be produced for the halls and the office building and used as needed through intelligent energy storage. In addition, the buildings will be heated and cooled through resource-saving concrete core activation.

Heating and cooling come from a nearby energy center

The provision of heating and cooling is done from the nearby energy center, where regenerative heat from biomass and CO₂-neutral cooling from a well system is obtained. This positively impacts energy costs and CO₂ emissions. “For many years, our company has stood for forward-thinking, the use of renewable energies, and above all, sustainable action. With the ecological new construction project of the DPD depot, we are setting another example,” says Andreas Müller, Managing Director of Alois Müller GmbH. The flexible and expandable district heating network can also be used beyond the supply of the DPD depot: Other companies that settle in the A 96 industrial and commercial park can be connected at any time.

Also regarding the building materials, the responsible parties paid attention to planning as sustainably as possible. For example, the roof structure was made of wood. Each cubic meter of glued laminated timber binds about one ton of CO₂ and thus has a significantly better CO₂ balance than alternatives. Additionally, wood provides a warm building atmosphere and, thanks to its moisture-regulating properties, ensures a more pleasant indoor climate. “DPD Deutschland places great importance on sustainable parcel shipping. We give our customers and parcel recipients a clear promise to deliver every parcel in a climate-neutral manner. Accordingly, we are investing in a sustainable infrastructure across Germany. The depot in Holzgünz, with its particularly energy-efficient construction, is a prime example of our commitment,” says Thomas Ohnhaus, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of DPD Deutschland.

Parcel sorting system for 10,000 parcels per hour

Inside the depot, there is a modern and highly efficient parcel sorting system. This system is capable of sorting up to 10,000 parcels per hour. In the initial phase, around 28,000 parcels will be sorted daily. In the long term, the Holzgünz location will be able to process up to 50,000 parcels per day.

The new depot in Holzgünz replaces the previous location in Kempten. There, DPD had reached its capacity limit. An expansion was no longer possible. This runs counter to the development within the region: Thanks to a high density of economically strong companies, this part of southern Germany offers great potential for business customers. The above-average per capita income also leads to a significant increase in e-commerce parcels. Only with the increased sorting volume can DPD ensure that it is prepared for the future demands of the parcel market. “We see an exciting economic structure on-site with thriving companies, and we, as DPD, have now launched this new depot at just the right time,” says Thomas Ohnhaus. “The growing parcel volumes during the Corona pandemic have accelerated our development by about four years. Therefore, the location in Holzgünz is particularly significant for the purchasing power-rich region around Memmingen.”

About 130 employees in the depot and 150 drivers for deliveries

In the future, over 130 people will be employed at the parcel sorting center in Holzgünz. Many employees from the Kempten depot will move to the new location as part of the relocation. However, a large part of the workforce at the new location will be newly recruited.

“When we celebrated the symbolic groundbreaking of the depot over a year ago, it was not yet clear what developments the parcel market would take in 2020. The Corona pandemic has placed high demands on reliable parcel delivery and has also given a boost to booming online commerce. During the Christmas season of 2020, we delivered over 2.5 million parcels per day on particularly high-volume days. Therefore, I am particularly pleased that we can now put another state-of-the-art and powerful parcel sorting center into operation in Holzgünz. Such investments are important to maintain our market position. The location near the Swiss and Austrian borders is also strategically extremely advantageous,” adds Thomas Ohnhaus.About DPD
DPD Deutschland is part of the international DPDgroup, Europe’s largest parcel service network. DPD has 79 depots and 7,000 pickup parcel shops across Germany. 9,500 employees and 11,000 delivery drivers are active for customers every day. In a year, the number 2 in the German parcel market transports around 375 million parcels – completely climate-neutral, without additional costs for customers. With numerous initiatives for sustainable parcel delivery, DPD demonstrates, especially in city centers, how parcel shipping can be environmentally friendly and locally emission-free.

About Alois Müller

The Alois Müller Group has grown from a traditional family business to a medium-sized owner-managed company with around 600 employees at twelve locations since 1973. We are specialists in energy and building technology (heating, ventilation, sanitation, cooling, electrical) as well as industrial plant engineering. According to our company motto “Energy in Focus,” all projects focus on innovative and energy-efficient solutions without compromising user comfort.

Photo: © DPD / Image caption: Resource-saving construction, photovoltaic system, regenerative heat from biomass: DPD Deutschland has put a particularly sustainable parcel sorting center into operation in Holzgünz.
www.dpd.de      www.alois-mueller.com