Up to 500,000 parcels per day. PPL CZ opens its largest central transshipment centre near Hradec Králové

The modern building is energy efficient and will also help reduce the carbon footprint of individual parcels. It therefore delivers on PPL’s long-term sustainability strategy, a fact which the company also demonstrated at the opening ceremony with a virtual fashion show which left not a single piece of waste behind.

PPL, the leading forwarding company, held an opening ceremony for its second central transshipment centre on 31 May. With its premises spreading out over an area of 46,000 m2, the new centre is twice as large as the existing HUB near Říčany in Central Bohemia. “I am thrilled beyond words at the opening of this new centre, as it marks yet another milestone for our company which would not have been possible without the unwavering confidence of our customers in the services provided by the great staff at PPL. The new HUB opens up a number of opportunities for us, including expansion of international parcel forwarding and streamlining of processes with state-of-the-art technologies,” said Petr Horák, CEO PPL CZ.

The opening ceremony was also attended on behalf of the city by the Mayor of Hradec Králové, Mgr. et Mgr. Pavlína Springerová, Ph.D.

 

Largest and most modern

The new logistics centre is strategically located close to the D11 motorway near Hradec Králové and Pardubice. It is located outside residential areas so as not to burden people with excessive traffic, but at the same time, thanks to its proximity to two regional cities, it remains easily accessible for PPL employees, more than 140 of whom will find employment there. Apart from them, fully automated high-speed sorting lines will also be a key factor in operation of the centre, enabling the new facility to handle up to half a million domestic and international parcels per day.

“We supplied PPL with a sorting system based on two Crossbelt SCS 1500 belts, which together can handle up to 20,000 parcels per hour. Sustainable materials were used for its production which are safe for workers and do not pollute the environment. Compared to other technologies, the system also features low energy consumption. We are proud to now be able to set this into operation together with PPL and in doing so, to raise the current standard in the region,” adds Magdalena Wierzbicka, representative of the Dutch company Vanderlande which supplied the line. For PPL, the new HUB is also an important step towards achieving climate neutrality. “The new centre delivers on our green strategy for environmental impact and sustainability. In addition to that, by reducing travel distances between our distribution centres and customers, we are also effectively reducing CO2 emissions,” says David Voznička, Operations Director at PPL CZ. The building itself is then, for example, equipped with rainwater tanks. Electric vehicle chargers will be installed in the coming months and the roof is ready for the installation of solar panels in the future.

 

Innovation for sustainability

The opening ceremony for the transshipment centre was accompanied by a virtual fashion show featuring PPL’s first ever fashion collection. The show, which left not a single piece of waste behind, also showed participants a vision of a more sustainable fashion world in the era of e-commerce. Being able to show and try on clothes digitally represents a major opportunity for all of us to reduce our carbon footprint. The collection was created by fashion designer Katarína Mydliarová.

The capacity of the PPL distribution network will be significantly strengthened by the new transshipment centre. This means that customers can look forward to faster and more convenient delivery of parcels delivered to their addresses, as well as those sent to PPL Parcelboxes and PPL Parcelshops for pick-up. These are increasingly popular among consumers thanks to their lower delivery costs and greater flexibility - by the end of the year, the company plans to increase their number in the Czech Republic to 7,000. Customer convenience is also ensured by the new mojePPL app, which offers a comprehensive overview of delivered parcels and the option of easily sending new ones. PPL is moving with the times and responding to 21st century trends not only in the field of e-commerce but also on other levels, and in doing so, meeting growing demands on speed of delivery, flexibility and convenience.