DHL air freight hub speeds up the employment market in Saxony-Anhalt

 

"We anticipate the further growth of DHL at Leipzig/Halle Airport“, says Eric Malitzke, Managing Director of the DHL Hub Leipzig GmbH. During the inauguration of the European freight hub of the post subsidiary in 2008, it was assumed that it would be developed until 2012 and then 2000 tonnes of freight per night and 3500 members of staff would be reached. There is no longer any mention of this today from Malitzke. He doesn't limit himself to any set numbers. " We are prepared for increased amounts of deliveries“, explains the DHL manager. The development depends on the need for fast goods in Europe and across the world. Currently, 1500 tonnes of freight is handled every night. That is 200,000 deliveries. 2900 employees are needed for this. The buildings and the sorting system are expandable, says Malitzke thinking of the future.

His optimism is borne out the development of the past three years. In 2008, 442,000 tonnes were transported via the Leipzig/Halle airport, mainly by DHL, the year after this figure was already 524,000 tonnes. The previous year there was a jump to 663,0000 tonnes of freight. Thus the Leipzig/Halle Airport, in which the state of Saxony-Anhalt has a 18.54% holding, moved to the second position behind the Airport in Frankfurt am Main. "We even grew during the financial crisis“, Malitzke points out. During this time, DHL redirected freight flows from Germany and Europe to Leipzig/Halle. Networks were created which have never existed before. This did not just bring advantages for customers but also had a positive impact on freight arrivals and the number of employees. The growth curve also continues upwards in 2011, says the 37 year old, looking at the first few months of the year.

 

Leipzig/Halle Airport is responding to these good prospects. It is expanding the DHL apron. From February 2012, 60 instead of the 52 aeroplanes at present will be able to be loaded and unloaded per night. Such investments also indicate that it is worth investing in the vicinity of the airport and creating new jobs, explains Malitzke.

This can also be celebrated in Saxony-Anhalt because the Mitteldeutsche Basketball Club MBC in Weißenfels is supported by DHL in its youth work. The children's race tracks of the Teutschenthal motor sports club can also count on financial support as can the pupil relay in the Mitteldeutsche Marathon. "We are committed to youth and social work because we are interested in good relationships with our neighbours“, says Malitzke, who is also part of the Logistics advisory council in Saxony-Anhalt. This includes supporting a study workshop at the university in Halle, in which students gain the opportunity to learn using new teaching methods as part of the privileged partnership between DHL and the Martin-Luther-University.

All of the kerosene that the DHL aeroplanes use on their journeys to more than 50 destinations in 33 countries comes from Saxony-Anhalt. It is produced in the refinery Total Raffinerie Mitteldeutschland GmbH in Leuna and is transported every week with two large tank wagon trains to the DHL fuel depot which can accommodate eleven million litres. In the cross-national network logistics Leipzig-Halle in which almost 90 companies in the sector have come together, DHL is also committed to ensuring that the region will gain greater prominence worldwide and will become even more efficient.

 
Captions:
Large photo:
Eric Malitzke, Managing Director of the DHL Hub Leipzig GmbH

Small photo: DHL employees loading an aeroplane

Photos: DHL

Contact

DHL Hub Leipzig GmbH
Hermann-Köhl-Straße 1

Tel. +49 (0) 341 4499 00
www.dhl.com