DHL Express, the expedited courier service arm of DHL Group, has announced the opening of its new Gatwick service centre.
The company will invest £37 million in the site over the course of multiple years, and has already invested £2m in ‘an automated shipment processing system to bolster improved efficiency and capacity for collections and deliveries across Sussex, Surrey and Kent’.
The 115,000ft² site is projected to handle around 2 million items annually.
Claire Leo, Gatwick service centre manager at DHL Express, said: “We are thrilled to open our new state-of-the-art service centre in Gatwick, which will enhance our ability to meet the growing demand for express delivery services in the region.
“With this new facility, we are well-positioned to support the local economy and deliver the highest standards of service”.
According to DHL Express, the site is powered by 100% renewable energy. This has been achieved through the installation of ‘extensive solar panels’; the energy from these solar panels is then combined with green energy from the grid to power the facility.
Further sustainability features include low-use water appliances and energy usage monitoring. The site also has the infrastructure to support 90 electric vans, with 30 electric car charging spaces for employees.
From a wellbeing perspective, it includes a ‘recreational landscaped area for employees to enjoy outside space’, as well as a ‘quiet room’ within the building.
Mims Davies, MP for East Grinstead & Uckfield, attended the opening of the new facility. She said: “I was greatly honoured to join the DHL Express team for the official opening of their fantastic new Gatwick service centre.
“This is a huge achievement and brilliant for our communities as DHL employs over 50,000 people across the UK and will be providing more jobs here in my constituency East Grinstead, Uckfield and the villages, from entry level to progressing into senior management.
“I also commend their efforts on working to ensure employees’ mental health is boosted with an outdoor area and quiet room in the building which will be hugely beneficial. The team from the previous site in East Grinstead who I had met before were delighted with their new work environment and the boosted opportunities it gives them.
“I look forward to visiting again soon and seeing how they continue to grow our local economy, working with many local businesses to get their products to customers.”
