Aug 21, 2017: DHL holds groundbreaking for new mega parcel center in Bochum

At the beginning of last year, DHL acquired an area of about 140,000 square meters at the Mark 51°7 property, which is the former Opel site, in Bochum-Laer. The parcel center's building alone - about 40,000 square meters - will be equivalent in size to five soccer fields. In order to operate the building in the most energy-efficient way possible, a heat-driven cogeneration (CHP) unit will be used in combination with a photovoltaic system installed on the roof. Energy-saving LEDbulbs provide the lighting. DHL is investing a sum in the tens of millions of euros to build the parcel sorting center. The DHL location is scheduled to go online in 2019, creating as many as 600 jobs with social security benefits and regulated by wage agreements in the process.

'Today, we are taking a decisive step toward the revival of this area, which is so important for the development of our city. I am pleased with the sustained commitment of DHL and the associated creation of hundreds of new jobs for people of varying qualifications and skills,' Bochum Mayor Thomas Eiskirch says. 'The establishment of the new DHL location is a strong signal of renewal and a vote of confidence for the sustainability of the city and the entire region.'

'With the punctual transfer of the site to DHL, Bochum Perspektive 2022 and Bochum Economic Development are proving once again that they have the capability to master complex infrastructure measures as well,' says Rolf Heyer, managing director of Bochum Perspektive 2022 GmbH, which is responsible for converting the area.

Committed to expanding its parcel infrastructure in answer to the ever-rising parcel volumes, DHL is making sure it can continue to offer parcel senders and recipients alike reliable, fast and flexible service. Already today, together the company's 34 parcel sorting centers process more than one million shipments every hour. The new location in Bochum is an important addition to the existing parcel network and represents a cornerstone in improving the efficiency of the DHL parcel network even more in the medium term. As recently as June 2016, the company commenced operating what was then the largest parcel center in Germany at its location in Obertshausen, where the sorting capacity is also 50,000 shipments per hour. By comparison, most DHL parcel centers process between 30,000 and 40,000 shipments per hour.