Panattoni, the leading project developer for industrial and logistics properties in Europe, and the future user Kühne+Nagel, celebrated the topping-out ceremony for a new logistics centre in Wittenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on 4 July 2023. Reinhard Meyer, Minister for Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labor of the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Christian Greger, Mayor of the City of Wittenburg, Tobias Jerschke, Chair of the Board of Directors at Kühne+Nagel in Germany, and other representatives from Kühne+Nagel und von Panattoni attended the celebration.
The new logistics centre will be built as a user-specific build-to-suit (BTS) property and, according to the schedule, it will be finished at the end of the year. With a hall height of 12.20 m to the bottom of the girders, the hall is equipped with a total usable surface area of around 36,500 m2. Of those, approx. 21,000 m2 are storage/technology space, 1,150 m2 are office/social space, 1,800 m2 are storage mezzanine space and 2,500 m2 are free storage space. The property will be equipped with a WGK foil (water hazard class) and a hazardous substances room. The exterior offers parking spaces for 100 cars and well-developed green and compensation areas. Kühne+Nagel, one of the world’s leading logistics companies, plans to use the new logistics centre as a global spare parts warehouse for a leading company in the field of renewable energy. In addition to the global supply of customers, unloading, goods receiving inspections, storage, goods inventory management, picking, packaging, loading and other supplemental services will be carried out in Wittenburg in the future. For further room to grow, Panattoni is providing an additional 10,000 m2 of expansion space.
“At Kühne+Nagel, we want to support our customers on their path to international success with global logistics services. The development of the new site in Wittenburg also follows this strategy. Our partner, Panattoni, is implementing our requirements precisely so that in the future, customers in Germany, Europe and the entire world can be supplied. The implementation of comprehensive sustainability measures is very important to us. As one of the leading logistics companies, we want to contribute toward a carbon-free future,” explains Tobias Jerschke, Chair of the Board of Directors at Kühne+Nagel in Germany.
While developing the project, Panattoni is focusing particularly on the aspect of sustainability and plans to obtain the DGNB Gold Certification for the property. The comprehensive sustainability measures realised by the developer in consultation with Kühne+Nagel include, among others, the installation of green roofs, air-water heat pumps for the office and social spaces and an intelligent energy management system with digital metres to optimise energy consumption. The roof of the building will also be pre-fitted for a photovoltaic system (PV). Cisterns will be erected on the exterior premises; the collected precipitation can be used for toilet flushing and irrigating the exterior grounds. Electric charging stations also allow for low-emission mobility. The use of permeable materials is planned for the central sprinkler system building and smoker/bicycle shelters. Moreover, nesting boxes for bats, birds and beehives will be set up.
Reinhard Meyer, Minister for Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labor of the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, said the following about the new construction, on behalf of Kühne+Nagel at the event: “The development of the new logistics centre for Kühne+Nagel is a positive signal for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as an economic location. Companies that settle in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania profit particularly from excellent connections to Northern and Eastern Europe. Wittenburg is also an excellent location that offers room to expand.”
The site, with a surface area of approximately 70,800 m2, on which the new logistics centre will be built was used as agricultural land during the GDR era. After carrying out renaturation measures, the City of Wittenburg is developing and connecting the new industrial district ‘Auf der Heide’. The site is strategically located on the A24 federal motorway which connects Berlin and Hamburg.
Christian Greger, Mayor of the City of Wittenburg, says, “It won’t be long before Kühne+Nagel can move into its new logistics centre. In Wittenburg, we are pleased that the company is settling here and the associated development of the new logistics site. Not only does this secure jobs, it also enriches the industrial district ‘Auf der Heide’ which the City of Wittenburg is currently developing and connecting.”
Fred-Markus Bohne, Managing Partner Panattoni Germany and Austria, says, about the topping-out ceremony, “The completion of the shell structure is an important step for the project in Wittenburg. According to Kühne+Nagel’s specifications, the generic halls have a high degree of third-party usability for subsequent lessees from the production, light industrial and logistics sectors. There is also space for further growth. Last, but not least, with Wittenburg, we were able to find a site in a strategically good location for the end customer.”
The construction work on the logistics centre started at the beginning of March. Panattoni plans to complete the work around the 2023/24 turn of the year. The transfer to the customer and start of operations are slated for 2024.
About Kühne+Nagel:
With more than 79,000 employees at nearly 1,300 sites in almost 100 countries, the Kühne+Nagel Group is one of the world’s leading logistics service providers. Kühne+Nagel’s headquarters are in Switzerland and it is listed on the Swiss lead index SMI. The group is number one in the world in air and sea freight and holds strong market positions in overland transport and in contra-logistics.
Kühne+Nagel is the preferred logistics provider of 400,000 customers worldwide. The group offers comprehensive supply chain solutions for global companies and branch offices based on a global network, logistics expertise and data-supported analyses. As a member of the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi), Kühne+Nagel is committed to sustainable logistics and is reducing its own ecological footprint and supporting customers with climate-friendly logistics solutions.
