DHL Is Building Thousands Of New Packing Stations

DHL Is Building Thousands Of New Packing Stations

Deutsche Post DHL is accelerating its expansion of the packing stations. According to the company in Bonn, the number of collection systems is expected to rise from the current 6,000 to 12,000 by the end of 2023. "More and more customers are using the Packstations," said Tobias Meyer, the Group Board Member responsible for Post and Parcel Germany. In addition, existing customers made more use of the pick-up option. Especially in Corona times, more people would have "discovered" the packing stations for themselves. In addition, retailers, local transport companies and real estate companies would be very interested in setting up a station at their locations. The packing stations are yellow metal wall units with boxes of different sizes, which can be found at supermarkets, petrol stations and train stations. With a pick-up code, customers can collect their parcels around the clock or hand them in for shipping; use of the system is free of charge. The first packing stations were set up in 2003, and the pioneering project has now become an established mass phenomenon. According to DHL, half of the population in Germany currently has a packing station close by, i.e. within a radius of one kilometer. The proportion is expected to increase in the future. However, it is not always guaranteed that the shipment will actually go to the packing station that is given as the address when ordering online. Because if the said station is full, the package ends up somewhere else and the consumer, contrary to expectations, has to make another trip. The group announced plans for a step-by-step expansion: at the end of this year there are planned 6500 - that would be 2100 more than 2019. At the end of 2021 at least 8500 are planned, a year later 10,500 and at the end of 2023 a total of at least 12,000. The Bonners did not name a total investment.