GLS has expanded its operational network in Poland with three new depots in the north and south of the country as it adapts its infrastructure to the growing shipment volumes boosted by the accelerated e-commerce growth as a result of the corona virus pandemic.
The new depot in Rywałd near Starogard Gdański, north-western Poland, is already operating. It has 18 courier gates and the capacity to sort about 3,500 shipments per day.
Another northern depot in Różan is located about 100 km north of Warsaw. Equipped with 31 courier gates, this has an area of over 1,400 sqm and handles around 4,500 parcels daily.
The third depot in Wodzisław Śląski, southern Poland (Silesia province), will start operations in November. It will have 30 courier gates and an area of nearly 1,000 sqm. In the first stage, it is expected to handle about 4,500 shipments per day.
“Initially, we planned only a reloading point here", Michał Dojcz, Southern Region Operational Director, said. “But the potential of this area, especially the number of companies operating here and the possibilities of optimising operating costs, convinced us to open a regular depot. The facility can be expanded by another 20 courier gates in the coming years.”
With the three new facilities, GLS Poland aims to complement and further strengthen its operational network.
“Locations were selected after careful analysis,” explained Małgorzata Markowska, Marketing Manager at GLS Poland. “The tight operating network allows for continuous improvement of the delivery and collection process. We want to be closer to our customers and successively expand the range of options available on the last mile. In the context of the e-commerce development, this is a strategically important element of modern, flexible courier services."
This year, GLS has considerably expanded its depot in Poznań, located in west-central Poland, with almost twice as many courier gates (158), more line haul loading gates (extended from 8 to 13, with the option of adding another 7) and also more line haul unloading gates. The total area is now about 50% larger. Operating in Poznań since 2008 together with Polish GLS headquarters, the site can now handle twice as many parcels per day as before the expansion, thanks to a new sorting system.
Apart from handling a growing number of shipments, the depot will also function as a regional sorting hub. In addition, it will take over part of the company’s international parcel handling and sort export parcels to Western European countries.
“We are systematically expanding our basic infrastructure and optimising line haul routes, increasing the network capacity. This way we are adapting to the growing stream of parcels, both domestic and cross-border,” Markowska added.
Last year, GLS Poland already opened a new depot in Tarnobrzeg, locaded in south-eastern Poland, connecting Warsaw and Rzeszów, and another one in Bielawa in Lower Silesia.
