20-05-2022
The new regional parcel center in Rümlang (ZH) went into operation today after around a year of construction work. The machines are running at full speed and sort around 5,000 parcels per hour for the greater Zurich-North area. Swiss Post has invested a total of 11 million francs in the conversion of the former industrial warehouse, creating around 60 new jobs in the municipality of Rümlang. Cantonal Councillor Carmen Walker Späh is delighted with the center’s opening. “The canton of Zurich welcomes this step and sees the investment as a commitment by Swiss Post to the Zurich Unterland area. We’re pleased that Swiss Post is creating new jobs in the region,”, adds the Head of the Department for Economic Affairs of the Canton of Zurich at the opening ceremony. And Stefan Nolte, Head of Logistics Services Operations at Swiss Post, explains: “The parcel center in the Riedmatt industrial district is a stroke of luck for us”. Logistics space in existing industrial areas is rare, and the location near the motorway is ideal in terms of transport connections. The access roads are far away from residential areas, so the local population is not affected.
New parcel center ensures shorter distances and protects the environment
The coronavirus pandemic significantly accelerated the expansion of online retail, and Swiss Post still expects increasing parcel volumes. The company wants to continue to process these volumes efficiently and deliver them on time. Swiss Post is tackling this challenge and is already planning and making investments in this area. The company’s goal is to expand its sorting and delivery infrastructure and enlarge its logistics network by modernizing existing facilities and opening additional new regional parcel centers. “Swiss Post is focusing on proximity to its customers and short distances,” says Head of Operations, Stefan Nolte. The mailed parcels from and for the region are increasingly sorted in the region itself. The new site in Rümlang shows how this works in practice. The new center means the company can shorten parcel processing times, avoid long transport distances and, in turn, protect the environment. Previously, Swiss Post processed parcels from and for the Zurich Unterland region in Frauenfeld and in Urdorf, but in future, this will no longer be necessary (see info box).
Besides Rümlang, Swiss Post will open new regional parcel centers in Buchs (AG) and Pratteln (BL) by the beginning of 2023. Over the next few years, more centers will be opened near the conurbations of Basel, Bern and Zurich, and the plans are well under way. “It will help us secure Swiss Post’s core business, our position as Switzerland’s leading logistics provider and create new jobs,” adds Nolte. This is entirely in line with the “Swiss Post of tomorrow” new Group strategy, with its clearly stated goal of making substantial investments in logistics
Swiss Post to invest around 1.5 billion francs in parcel processing by 2030
By 2030, Swiss Post intends to double its parcel processing capacity, enabling the operation of at least 15 parcel sorting sites. Thanks to this expansion, Swiss Post wants to handle increasing parcel volumes, meet the needs of its customers and provide a high-quality public service for the population and businesses in Switzerland. With this in mind, it is investing around 1.5 billion francs and creating a total of 1,500 full-time jobs. The moves mean Swiss Post is seamlessly building on its recent past. It has invested 250 million francs in parcel processing over the past five years. Swiss Post has opened four new regional parcel centers since 2019 – in Cadenazzo (TI) in 2019 and in Ostermundigen (BE), Vétroz (VS) and Untervaz (GR) in 2020.
Source: Swiss Post