Pan European delivery company DPD has doubled the parcel handling capacity of its Essen, Germany facility with an investment of €8.5 million.

The facility will be processing around 50,000 parcels a day but plans to up this to 70,000 a day in future. Prior to the investment the Essen facility could handle around 35,000 parcels per day.

“DPD is registering very strong rates of growth, caused in particular by the boom in online retailing,” stated DPD regional director Dr. Jörg Schmeidler. “After our expansion operations we are well-prepared for future growth. We therefore regard the investment of €8.5 million as a long-term commitment to Essen and to the jobs at this location.”

The extension to the existing DPD facility began in November 2014 and continued while operations in the depot carried on. Earlier this month, two additional sorting halls and a new unloading section came on stream.

The newly extended facility in Essen will now serve two more towns in the Ruhr. Oberhausen and Bottrop were added from the start of May, but from the 1st of September, Gelsenkirchen as well as Velbert and Hattingen will be added to the areas served. Up until now the facility served Essen, Bochum, Mulheim an der Ruhr, Herne and Gladbeck. The site has been operational in Ruhrglas Street, Essen since 2007, and employs 250 there.

Germany’s e-commerce market is one of the strongest in Europe and as the market matures so delivery companies are looking to extend their reach in the country. This rationalisation of assets in Essen is one example where this is happening.