from left to right Steffen Müller, Managing Director Alois Müller Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Andreas Brockhaus, Managing Director LIST Bau, Thomas Ohnhaus, Chief Operating Officer (COO) DPD Germany, Andreas Müller, Managing Director Alois Müller Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Christa Bail, Deputy Chairwoman of the Industry and Trade Association A96 and Dr. Stephan Winter, Deputy District Administrator Unterallgäu.
With a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony DPD and Alois Müller Holding GmbH & Co. KG celebrated the start of construction of a “green” depot in Holzgünz near Memmingen in Lower Allgäu with a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony. The parcel sorting centre is expected to go into operation in February 2021. It will replace the previous location in Kempten and will also take over its delivery area when operations begin. Climate efficiency and sustainability are of paramount importance in this construction project.
With the new building DPD is strengthening its presence in a region which offers great potential for business customers thanks to its high density of economically strong companies. In addition, the above-average per capita income will ensure strong growth in e-commerce parcels. DPD’s present location in Kempten will no longer be able to meet the requirements of these growth markets, especially since it is not possible to expand locally. “I am pleased that the trade association has been able to provide DPD with a site which, thanks to its favourable location, meets the needs of the parcel service, but also the requirements of the surrounding settlements”, says Christa Bail, Deputy Chairwoman of the A96 trade and industry association. The new Holzgünz depot will in future be able to process up to 50,000 parcels a day. In the end, about 130 people will be employed at the Holzgünz depot. As this is a depot relocation, many employees of the Kempten depot will move with them to the new location. However, a large part of the workforce at the new location will be newly recruited. “The new depot will therefore not only ensure the parcel supply of the citizens in the region. We will also gain new jobs for our Lower Allgäu region”, says Deputy District Administrator Dr. Stephan Winter.
Thomas Ohnhaus, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of DPD Germany, adds: “Investments such as the one here in Holzgünz are important for maintaining our market position. In order to be able to handle the rapidly growing parcel volumes we need modern, high-performance parcel sorting centres. Not far from both the Swiss and Austrian borders, Holzgünz is a strategically very good location for a new DPD depot”.
In contrast to most construction projects in recent years, DPD in Holzgünz does not act as the building owner. This role is assumed by Alois Müller Holding GmbH & Co. KG, which subsequently also acts as lessor of the depot. As a company with great expertise in the field of energy and building technology, Alois Müller will focus on resource-saving and energy-efficient solutions without compromising user comfort. “For many years, our company has stood for future-oriented thinking, the use of regenerative energies and, above all, sustainable action. With the ecological new building project for the DPD depot we are setting a further example”. points out managing director Andreas Müller.
The new DPD depot will therefore be virtually energy self-sufficient. With the aid of a photovoltaic system covering around 3,000 square metres with a total output of 500 kW, the halls and the office building will produce their own electricity and use it as required via intelligent energy storage systems. In addition, the buildings are heated and cooled by resource-saving concrete core activation. Heat and cooling is provided by the nearby energy centre, where regenerative heat from biomass and CO2-neutral cooling is obtained from a well system. This reduces energy costs and CO2 emissions to almost zero The flexible and expandable local heating network not only ensures a resource-conserving and sustainable supply of heat to the new DPD depot, but also allows other companies settling in the A 96 Industrial and Commercial Park to be connected at any time.
LIST Bau Nordhorn, a long-standing partner of DPD, has been commissioned with the operational implementation of the construction project. An unloading hall and two loading halls as well as an office building with a total floor space of almost 10,000 sqm will be built on the Holzgünz site. Andreas Brockhaus, Managing Director of LIST Bau Nordhorn, gives an insight into the progress of the construction work: “In December we will start with the special foundation, in which we will produce vibro-stone columns in the subsoil. These stabilise the future building. The new building will then grow upwards from the beginning of next year. We expect to be able to celebrate its completion in September 2020”.