DHL opened a new sorting center at its express hub in Leipzig last week. Thanks to the state-of-the-art sorting facility, bulkier and heavier shipments can now be sorted on a fully automated basis at Europe’s most modern shipment sorting facility.

The investment of $254 million to expand the European hub has boosted the processing capacity of DHL at the site by about 50 percent to 150,000 shipments per hour. The company has also created 1,300 jobs since work began on the expansion, bringing the total number of people employed by DHL at the hub to 4,900.

“The successful launch of our expanded hub and the new sorting facility is a further step that reinforces the importance of Leipzig as our main European express hub,” said Frank Appel, CEO of Deutsche Post DHL Group, at an opening ceremony on October 12. “I am particularly delighted by the many additional jobs that we have been able to create. As a major employer and investor, we are very proud to be able to carry on supporting the positive economic development in Leipzig and the surrounding region.”

The further expansion of the modern hub underscores Leipzig’s prominent position within DHL’s global network and reflects the company’s response to continued dynamic growth in the international express delivery business. The new sorting technology is the first of its kind in the industry. It consists of a combination of various innovative conveyor technologies, enabling the fully automated handling of packages with a weight of up to 375 pounds, which would otherwise be too heavy or bulky for standard conveyor belts.

“The expansion of our capacity and particularly the introduction of our new sorting technology provide our customers with two crucial advantages: even more reliability at an even greater speed,” said Ralph Wondrak, managing director of DHL Leipzig Hub. “Through our investment, we are able not only to increase the daily capacity of our flights but also to further improve our efficiency. We are ensuring that Leipzig will continue to play a central role in the world of global trade.”

DHL Express has invested a total of $724 million in the Leipzig hub, including the costs for the upgrade.