DHL Opens International Logistics Center in Poznan

From left to right: Agnieszka Swierszcz, CEO DHL eCommerce Polen; Uwe Brinks, CEO DHL Freight; Tobias Meyer, CEO DHL Group; Pablo Ciano, CEO DHL eCommerce; Nikol Hagleitner, CEO Post & Paket Deutschland

The new, state-of-the art sorting and distribution center in Western Poland strengthens DHL’s European network to cope with the growing volume of e-commerce shipments. DHL eCommerce, Post & Parcel Germany, and DHL Freight will share the new facility. DHL Freight operates a high-tech terminal with more than 5,500 square meters of warehouse and office space in the Poznan logistics center with around 100 employees.

The New DHL Facility in Poznan: Highly Efficient Performance for Three Corporate Divisions

DHL Group invested about 180 million euros in the international logistics center in Robakowo near Poznan. The result is one of the largest and most up-to-date parcel sorting and logistics facilities in Europe, with a total of around 500 workplaces. The center covers an area equivalent to the size of five soccer fields. More than 3,000 meters of conveyor belts ensure a sorting capacity of 45,000 parcels per hour.

Three different DHL divisions share the pioneering parcel sorting facility: DHL eCommerce and Post & Parcel handle e-commerce shipments to cope with the growing volume of parcels. DHL Freight operates a terminal for processing palletized shipments and less-than-container-load cargo for its Polish and European customers.

With the new International Logistics Center, we are expanding our capacities and capabilities to meet the growing e-commerce shipment volumes. This facility, equipped with cutting-edge technology, will improve quality of service, making it a distinctive addition to our European network. It will reduce transit times to many European markets, particularly between Germany and Poland, underlining our commitment to providing our customers with fast and reliable cross-border shipping services.

Tobias Meyer, CEO DHL Group

DHL Freight in Poznan: International Connections from the Heart of Europe

DHL Freight has 50 cross-docks, 4,170 square meters of operating space, and 1,360 square meters of offices at its disposal in Robakowo. The new terminal replaces the site in nearby Koninko.

Daily road transport, interim storage, and consolidation of less-than-container-load shipments make this highly efficient logistics facility an important part of DHL Freight's European network. Robakowo provides import and export connections between Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark for companies in the automotive, consumer goods, technology and retail sectors, among others.

Strategic Location for DHL Group

Western Poland has developed into a central European e-commerce hub. Numerous international retailers operate warehouses and fulfillment centers here, serving the whole of Europe and the German market in particular. The Polish domestic parcel market is also growing rapidly. DHL Group and DHL Freight consider it strategically crucial to be strongly represented in this market.

In addition to processing international and domestic e-commerce and parcel shipments, the facility in Robakowo also handles returns from Germany. This helps to reduce the workload on DHL Group’s German parcel centers, especially those located in eastern Germany near the Polish border. During peak times, DHL eCommerce and Post & Parcel Germany can manage a combined volume of one million parcels per day: a cross-border and cross-divisional win-win situation.

In Poznan and at all DHL Locations: Sustainability Is Our Commitment

Tomorrow’s logistics is sustainable. All new DHL Group and DHL Freight sites meet the highest environmental standards from planning to operation. The new center in Poland is fully in line with DHL’s sustainability strategy to continuously reduce our own carbon footprint.

Robakowo features a wide range of eco-friendly and resource-saving solutions, making it a landmark for the sustainable and future-oriented design of logistics facilities. The center’s commitment to sustainability has earned it a “Gold Innovation Award”.

At our DHL Freight site in Robakowo, we prioritize sustainability. We are constantly engaged in making our terminal ‘greener’, saving energy, and fulfilling our responsibility towards the environment and people. Our goal is to provide eco-friendly transportation solutions in Poland. Our terminal’s convenient location and proximity to the existing rail connection create ideal conditions for this. We are also negotiating with filling station operators to make bio-LNG available at our terminal, further contributing to a sustainable future.

Uwe Brinks, CEO DHL Freight

Some of the Ecological Features of the New Logistics Center in Robakowo

• Energy supply: The center covers one-third of its energy requirements with its own photovoltaic system. The remainder is met by purchasing additional green electricity.
• Energy saving:
  • Cutting edge heat pumps provide both heating and cooling.
  • Optimized insulation reduces the energy needed to heat in the winter and to cool in the summer.
  • A large number of vertical skylights minimize the need for artificial lighting.
  • Indoor and outdoor LED lighting is controlled by intelligent control systems and motion detectors.
  • An efficient building management system optimizes lighting and air conditioning.
  • Smart metering further reduces energy consumption.
• Automotive technology and traffic management: Electric vehicles move trailers and containers around the site. In addition, there are some 40 charging stations for electric cars, delivery vans, and trucks. An automated traffic management system at the entrances and exits shortens waiting times for vehicles and keeps noise and pollutant emissions to a minimum.

Cross Border Sustainability with DHL Freight

Sustainable growth while meeting international transport demand is a challenge that DHL Freight is taking on, and not just in Poznan. Thanks to our customers who use the GoGreen Plus service, we are reducing emissions directly in our own network. Modern, efficient, and environmentally friendly facilities such as the new terminal in western Poland play an important role in this. The sustainable future of logistics has already begun at DHL Freight.