Panattoni and DB Schenker celebrate laying the foundation stone for the cross-dock terminal in Herbrechtingen

Panattoni, Europe's leading project developer for industrial and logistics real estate in Europe, and DB Schenker, global logistics and transport services provider, celebrated laying the foundation stone for DB Schenker's new land transport centre north-east of Ulm in Herbrechtingen (Baden-Württemberg) on 5 October 2021. In addition to representatives of DB Schenker, LIST Bau Bielefeld and Panattoni, the mayor and the deputy mayor of the town of Herbrechtingen also attended.

DB Schenker will begin relocating its land transport branch from Ulm to Herbrechtingen and thereby increase its capacities when the multipurpose cross-dock terminal opens in May 2022. The future site is in the Robert-Bosch-Straße industrial estate and enjoys direct proximity to the A7 motorway, which provides an important north-south link, and to the A8 motorway, connecting Stuttgart and Munich.

A transshipment facility and separate two-storey office and administration building are being developed on a plot area of 40,000 sqm. The site comprises 7,000 sqm of logistics space, 2,000 sqm of office and communal space, about 300 sqm of mezzanine storage space and some 15,200 sqm of paved outdoor space. Added to the above are 70 car, 71 lorry and 40 trailer parking spaces, as well as access via a total of 74 ramps and a dock leveller for HGVs with exceptionally voluminous loads. The logistics site's configuration enables highly optimised loading and unloading processes that guarantee extremely fast transshipment of the goods and material. Special attention was given to sustainability during the planning phase.The new cross-dock will be certified according to the DGNB's [German Sustainable Building Council] gold standardand equipped with electric charging stations, wastewater and rainwater recycling measures, noise protection, as well as WHC 3 foil to mitigate risk when handling substances hazardous to water, among other things.

"Laying the foundation stone is an important step in the realisation of this time-sensitive project for DB Schenker. This modern cross-dock provides our company with a new hub, enabling us to further consolidate our land transport network. We would like to express our thanks for the confidence displayed by DB Schenker and the town of Herbrechtingen, as well as for the cooperation of everyone involved in the project," says Fred-Markus Bohne, managing partner at Panattoni.

"We carried out extensive earthworks on the site in the run-up to the building works. The shell of the cross-dock, constructed with precast concrete elements, is now already in place and the façade works are starting. The foundation works for the office building are now also getting underway. The teams from LIST Bau Bielefeld GmbH & Co. KG and LIST Ingenieure GmbH & Co. KG are liaising with everyone involved on a daily basis to meet the ambitious timetable. We are therefore extremely confident that the cross-dock can go into operation in May 2022 as planned," reports René Konrad, managing director at LIST Bau Bielefeld GmbH & Co. KG.

"The new land transport terminal allows our growth to continue and is of enormous strategic importance for DB Schenker, not least because of the good transport links. The new capacities offered by a modern and sustainable cross-dock allow us to increase productivity and thus performance for our customers," explains Ralf Többe, head of Land Transport at DB Schenker (Germany/Switzerland Cluster).

Mayor of the town of Herbrechtingen Daniel Vogt confirms during the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone: "We are delighted that DB Schenker, a major international logistics service provider, is opening a facility in Herbrechtingen. This will strengthen our business location further."

Thomas Diem, deputy mayor of the town of Herbrechtingen, adds: "The establishment of DB Schenker in our town is the result of professional collaboration between all the companies involved and our public authorities. Mayor Vogt and I are both looking forward to the moment at which the cross-dock opens."