GLS Czech Republic has announced the expansion of its central hub in Jihlava, Czech Republic, in response to the growth of e-commerce in 2020 and the record number of parcels transported in the main season. The parcel delivery company accelerated the planned expansion of the national and international sorting centre in Jihlava. The new hall with an area of 4,640 sq m is said to meet environmental standards and aims to increase capacity up to 2.5 times. The investment in the first stage, which hopes to make it possible to process 50% more consignments during the peak season 2021, amounts to €12m and brings up to 100 new jobs.
E-commerce and related parcel transport proved to be an indispensable part of the infrastructure at a time when the stores remained closed due to government regulations. GLS Czech Republic responded to the expansion of e-commerce by expanding the hub in Jihlava.
“We are glad that many brick-and-mortar stores and small tradesmen managed to enter the world of internet sales with our support. The high-quality and robust GLS network easily handled the extraordinary demands of the number of B2C shipments, the maximum of which reached more than double 2019. In order to be able to meet customer requirements, we began construction of the next stage of the international sorting centre in Jihlava. Start of operation is planned for autumn of 2021. The entire sorting centre is being built with maximum use of sustainable development practices and will continue to benefit the development of business in the region and the employment of its inhabitants,” says Pavel Včela, Director of GLS Czech Republic.
“The investment in the hub, which in the first stage will reach €12m, will bring other benefits to the GLS transmission network by further increasing the international importance of Jihlava, which already has daily direct connections with nodes in Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovakia or Hungary”, adds Pavel Včela.”The construction of the new hall will increase capacity by 50% at this stage, in the future it will be up to 2.5 times the existing capacity. Thanks to the expansion, up to 100 new jobs will be created in the region.” The entire building will also meet GLS environmental standards. “Heat pumps will be used for heating, thermal insulation will be strengthened, rainwater and LED lighting will be used. The building will have a green facade and will also meet the conditions for the future use of emission-free vehicles or the use of the roof for photovoltaic panels,” explains Pavel Včela.
Source: GLS
