DPD eco-hub enables all-electric deliveries in London
DPD has cut the ribbon on a new £40m eco-regional sortation centre in Bromley-By-Bow, Docklands that will enable the parcel carrier to deliver up to 80,000 ‘green' parcels into London each day.
The opening ceremony was performed by the Secretary of State for Transport, The Rt Hon Mark Harper MP, who praised the investment in the new eco-centre for helping to drive the green economic growth the UK needs, in front of an audience comprising some of the UK's leading online retailers.
Due to be fully operational in the new year. the new eco-hub creates 650 new jobs and its arrival means that DPD's delivery service within London's north and south circular area will be all-electric.
The new site is a hybrid eco-sortation and distribution facility. In addition to the parcel delivery operation, which will be DPD's greenest in the UK, a 430 metre long state-of-the-art conveyor system will automatically sort all intra-London parcels for next-day delivery on-site, instead of them being trunked to the Midlands and back for sorting, as is currently the case.
Solar panels on the parking canopy help charge the 500 electric delivery vans and a 40,000 litre HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) tank to enable the fleet of LGVs and 7.5T trucks to fill-up with the renewable biofuel. The plan also includes the installation of solar panels on the main roof in the new year, which could generate up to 1 million kwh per annum to help power the entire building.
The new Docklands site will also help DPD achieve its pledge to deliver to 30 of the largest towns and cities in the UK with zero and low-emission final mile delivery vehicles.
DPD UK CEO Elaine Kerr said: "This investment represents another huge step towards our net zero goals and, I believe, demonstrates the new gold standard for a green parcel delivery operation in London, or any city. It is also great to be able to share our vision with so many of our retail partners, who have backed us on this journey to create genuinely cleaner and greener solutions for their customers.
"This represents a major milestone in our green journey. We opened the UK's first all-electric parcel delivery depot in Westminster almost exactly five years ago. Now Docklands demonstrates what is possible, on a much bigger scale. But this is far from the end. We are constantly looking for new and smarter solutions, as we demonstrated earlier this year with the roll-out of autonomous robot deliveries, and we will continue investing in green innovation to accelerate our decarbonisation pathway."
Secretary of State for Transport, The Rt Hon Mark Harper MP commented, "I was delighted to attend the opening of DPD's new London hub, which will speed up delivery times, create new jobs and support an important industry that contributes billions to our economy."
Image: Secretary of State for Transport, The Rt Hon Mark Harper MP with Elaine Kerr, DPD UK CEO at DPD Docklands.
