DHL expands French express network with new centres and flights

DHL Express has extended its network in France with investment of EUR 15 million this year in new sorting centres in Paris and two branches in northern and eastern France. It has also launched flights between Paris and the new European air hub in Leipzig.
More than EUR 5 million was invested into the new sorting centre at Villeneuve-la-Garenne on the northern outskirts of Paris. DHL also inaugurated a new sorting centre at Vitry, south of Paris, new branches in Lille and Metz, northern France, and two new air routes linking Roissy and Vatry with Leipzig.
The 5900 sqm facility at Villeneuve, completed in March this year, consists of a 5000 sqm warehouse divided into two parts and 900 sqm of office space. Two thirds of the warehouse area is destined for sorting activity and the other third is used for distribution. The sorting system has capacity for up to 5,000 parcels an hour. Some 165 employees work at the site.
Villeneuve is very important for the international trade flows of the Parisian region and Normandy since it handles imports and exports transported through Roissy and Vatry airports, DHL pointed out. Imports are delivered to customers living in the Parisian region and Normandy through the DHL Express branches in Nanterre, Roissy, Compiègne, Orly, Le Havre, Rouen and Caen. In return, the same offices collect export shipments which are sorted at Villeneuve ready for onward international air transportation. The facility also handles local distribution for the surrounding region.
In total, there are about 4,200 inbound and 4,200 outbound shipments handled daily at Villeneuve, amounting to 85 daily truck journeys and 30 air containers. The centre, open 24/7, handles a daily average of 40 tonnes of imports and 55 tonnes of exports.
Security is ensured by X-ray tunnels which scan all departing shipments in line with the air cargo security regulations of the French civil aviation authority DGAC. To improve handling, the conveyor belts are equipped with high-tech scanning technology which enables regular transfer every 10 minutes of shipment information for tracking, delivery and pick-up purposes. Solar panels generate warm water and other environmental measures such as selective sorting and training for eco-driving will be implemented by the end of this year.