Sustainable logistics center based on green building concept

To meet the growing demands of e-commerce, Panattoni has built a new distribution warehouse in Dettelbach for textile manufacturer S.OLIVER GROUP. Hundreds of tons of asbestos were disposed of during the revitalization of the brownfield site—a major project with significant benefits.

A central warehouse for the entire continent: When someone in Europe orders a T-shirt from the s.Oliver online store, that order now ends up in Dettelbach. There, Panattoni, Europe's largest industrial developer, has built a modern logistics facility that meets the highest sustainability standards. Together with a second facility for Dachser, the building forms Panattoni Park Würzburg East.

As easy as pie: The S.OLIVER GROUP optimizes its supply chains

The new S.OLIVER GROUP branch has been established in Dettelbach, just 15 km from the company's headquarters in Rottendorf. The approximately 72,000 m² hall serves as the textile manufacturer's central distribution warehouse for the whole of Europe. The company deliberately chose a location from which its core markets of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland can be reached quickly and easily.

The new logistics center has been tailored precisely to the needs of the S.OLIVER GROUP. It features special intralogistics facilities such as a pick tower and a hanging garment warehouse. Individual automation solutions such as an automatic returns buffer and a bag sorter speed up processes in the warehouse, thereby increasing the S.OLIVER GROUP's delivery service level.

Clothes make environmental protection: Implementation according to DGNB Platinum Standard

Extensive revitalization measures were necessary to create sufficient space for the distribution warehouse. A total of 576 tons of asbestos fragments were collected and properly disposed of on the 16.5-hectare site, which was formerly home to an asbestos cement plant and a plastics factory. To minimize the risk of asbestos release, the exposed construction site areas were rebuilt. An additional layer of soil was applied to unsealed areas. Uncontaminated mineral material was reused as a frost protection layer. In total, Panattoni was able to reuse 10,000 m² of recycled material for the construction of the two new halls – an important contribution to sustainability.

With these and other complex measures to protect the environment, the real estate developer achieved certification according to the highest criteria of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). The textile manufacturer's new logistics hall has been awarded the DGNB Platinum Standard, which is difficult to achieve. With features including a photovoltaic system, spacious wellbeing areas for employees, and orchards and wildflower meadows, the distribution warehouse meets the high sustainability standards of the S.OLIVER GROUP and Panattoni.

Conclusion: Successfully dressed up

Thanks to close cooperation with all project participants and representatives of the district, the project was completed in a very short time. After just one year, Panattoni was able to hand over the modern property on a decontaminated and revitalized site to the S.OLIVER GROUP. The new location in Dettelbach creates 500 to 700 jobs. The regional company, which has now developed into an international big player, is thus making a significant contribution to regional value creation. It strengthens the economic power of the district of Kitzingen and has a knock-on effect for other companies considering settling in the greater Würzburg area.