Utrecht, March 15, 2024 - With the placing of a first green pole, DHL has begun the construction of a new national sorting hub for parcels in Zwolle. It will be the fifth facility of its kind in the Netherlands, which, together with the twelve RegionHubs, directly supply the 130 last-mile CityHubs. The green pole symbolizes the high sustainability requirements that the building and processes will meet.
DHL is investing 60 million euros in this energy-neutral sorting center, which will process 200,000 parcels per day. Zwolle will become the hub of Northeast Netherlands and will operate in the DHL network by the end-of-year rush in 2025.
The ceremony took place in the presence of Mayor Snijders and Councilor Guldemond. The councilor, together with Roelof Hofman, COO of DHL eCommerce Benelux, laid the green pole.
Paul Guldemond, Councilor for Sustainable Economy in the municipality of Zwolle: "Great that DHL chooses a building with a maximum sustainability score. That fits with the economy we want to be in the Zwolle Region. DHL, as a logistics service provider, can also help other companies in the region reduce their CO2 footprint; important to maintain business activity and employment in our region. And DHL's choice for Zwolle is also a recognition of our favorable location between the Randstad and Northeast Netherlands."
Roelof Hofman, COO of DHL eCommerce Benelux: "With the national sorting hub in Zwolle, our sustainability-oriented network is further perfected."
With 21,000 m2 of sorting warehouse and 1,300 m2 of office space, it will be a modern workplace for over 300 employees. The building will meet the highest BREEAM sustainability standards, be gas-free, and meet its own power needs with solar panels. From the sorting center, 130 CityHubs located on the outskirts of urban areas are supplied, which in turn deliver packages to all households in the Netherlands with relatively short routes. Delivery is mostly done with electric delivery vans and partly with buses running on (HVO) biodiesel.
The sorting center of the DHL eCommerce division is located at Pommerenstraat 1 in the Hessenpoort industrial estate. The DHL Express Service Center, the express division of the DHL Group, is also located at Hessenpoort.