DPD invests £10m ahead of peak

As the industry gears up for the peak season, DPD has announced that it has invested over £10m in a new distribution centre in Dunstable and new depots in Bicester, London’s Park Royal, Goole and Aberdeen. The new premises have all been delivered ahead of the Christmas parcel rush, and will contribute to what DPD anticipates will be a record peak period, with expected parcel volumes up over 20% on last year.

Collectively, the investment will create 105 new jobs initially in a range of roles – including operations and drivers – and each location will have significant capacity to continue growing for years to come.

DPD said that the five new sites are part of an ongoing investment programme to expand network capacity and improve efficiency.

The 63,603 sq ft Dunstable distribution centre, located on the Woodside Industrial Estate, is double the size of DPD’s standard depot sites and will service up to 115 new routes. The site is fitted out with fully automated sorting conveyers and can handle 6,000 packages an hour.

The 47,145 sq ft Goole depot on the Ozone Business Park, Howden, will boost DPD’s parcel distribution services across East Yorkshire and the wider region and will service up to 75 new routes.

The 42,842 sq ft Aberdeen depot on the Badentoy Industrial Estate features new automated parcel sorting technology will service up to 90 new routes.

DPD has relocated its Bicester depot to a new 30,385 sq ft site at Bicester Park, which increases its capacity to service up to 85 new routes in the area.

In London, the company has relocated to a new 45,041 sq ft depot in Park Royal, which replaces the old depot based at King’s Cross and will allow the company to service up to 50 new routes.

DPD’s CEO Dwain McDonald commented: “In the last few years DPD has enjoyed unprecedented growth. We’ve invested heavily in developing our distribution network and in creating a range of innovative, customer focused services. These new depots are the latest in our ongoing investment in our infrastructure and will allow us to continue to deliver a first class service to businesses, online retailers and their customers for years to come.

“Our purpose built, state-of-the-art DCs and depots make a huge impact on our distribution network, both in terms of extra capacity and greater efficiency. And, the new locations will also give our drivers better access to major road networks, improving our journey times. Our approach to Peak is always based largely around bringing on board new, permanent infrastructure and staff – resources that are then available to us next year to help us continue growing.”