DHL expands Cologne-Eifeltor parcel center to 50,000 parcels per hour
DHL opened an expansion of its Cologne-Eifeltor parcel center, raising its sorting capacity to nearly 50,000 pieces per hour and adding space for 250 new workers. The facility now employs 750 people and serves about 1.2 million households in northwest Germany.
The expansion, which began construction in 2024 and was completed this summer, includes a solar array on the new roof, underfloor heating, automatic ventilation controls, and demand‑controlled LED lighting. DHL’s Post & Parcel division is investing more than one billion euros annually over several years to modernize its network as letter volumes fall and e‑commerce parcels rise. The upgraded center’s capacity now matches that of the previous largest parcel center in North Rhine‑Westphalia, located in Bochum, while only the Aschheim hub near Munich exceeds it with roughly 72,000 parcels per hour. The facility also features a green roof that improves thermal insulation, reducing energy use in winter and limiting heat gain in summer.
“With the expansion of the Cologne-Eifeltor parcel center, we are making a targeted investment in the performance of our network. Online retail continues to grow, and our customers rightly expect fast and reliable delivery,” Marc Hitschfeld, head of operations for Post & Parcel Germany at DHL Group said.
The Cologne-Eifeltor parcel center has operated since 1994 and currently reaches roughly 1.2 million households. DHL is upgrading its parcel and letter facilities across Germany as mail volumes drop and e‑commerce parcel traffic rises.
What we know
sorting capacity nearly 50,000 pieces per hour
250 additional workers, total employment 750
investment more than 1 billion euros per year over several years (equivalent to $1.16 billion)
serves about 1.2 million households
Aschheim near Munich has higher capacity approx 72,000 parcels per hour