Swiss Post has unveiled a CHF75m (US$81.7m) regional parcel center in Pratteln (BL) in Switzerland.
Swiss Post converted the former tire factory into a center that can sort up to 10,000 parcels an hour and up to 160,000 parcels a day. With the opening of the site, Swiss Post is creating around 50 additional jobs in the municipality. This will bring the company up to 350 Swiss Post staff in Pratteln.
According to the company, the location of the premises in the industrial district is ideal because of its proximity to the highway and the border – especially for imported consignments from Germany and France. Swiss Post reports that cross-border goods traffic has been increasing for years, as has the need for national and international logistics services for companies. For this reason, customs clearance is situated on the 30,000m2 premises, in addition to the sorting system, delivery and transportation units. The returns processing unit is also expected to move to Pratteln in June 2023.
The Pratteln regional parcel center is the first of a total of three sorting centers that Swiss Post will put into operation in 2023. In June 2023, the Wallisellen (ZH) regional parcel center will be added to Swiss Post’s logistics network. This will be followed in September by the opening of another regional parcel center in Härkingen (SO), where Swiss Post will integrate parcel processing into an existing letter center. Although Swiss Post processed fewer parcels in 2022 than in the previous year due to delivery bottlenecks, low consumer confidence and the lifting of coronavirus measures, it reportedly expects parcel volumes to increase in the long term. Current volumes, for example, are significantly higher than they were in 2019 prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. By 2030, Swiss Post plans to operate a maximum of 15 parcel sorting centers.
Additionally, Swiss Post will sort the majority of parcels from and for Basel and Liestal in its Pratteln center in the future. As a result, far fewer parcels will need to be routed via the Härkingen parcel center, which will shorten transportation routes and times and ease the burden on traffic infrastructure in Switzerland.
Johannes Cramer, head of logistics services at Swiss Post, said, “Even if we see a decline in parcel volumes in the short term, we want to continue to reliably meet the needs of people and businesses in Switzerland. That’s why we’re investing in our infrastructure, belt conveyors and state-of-the-art technology as well as in our staff and modern workplaces such as here in Pratteln.”
“Thanks to the new location, we can process parcels from the Basel area more regionally and sustainably for the benefit of our customers. Our business customers expect comprehensive one-stop logistics solutions from Swiss Post – from acceptance to transport, and sorting and customs clearance to delivery. In Pratteln, we’re pooling considerable expertise in one place and strengthening our position as a reliable, leading logistics partner in the Northwestern Switzerland economic region.”
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