Austrian Post Expands Parcel Logistics Center in Vienna

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new parcel logistics center of the Austrian Post took place today in Vienna-Inzersdorf. On an area of almost 23,000 m², the most innovative logistics center of the Post will be built by August 2023. The entire site will then include Austria’s largest letter logistics center, the international center, the truck fleet of Transport Logistics East, as well as the printing and enveloping center of D2D – direct to document, and will cover over 200,000 m².

(Wien) The hall of the parcel logistics center, which has been in operation since 2002, will be retained and is to be primarily used for deliveries starting in 2023. The project will secure over 1,500 existing jobs and create more than 100 new ones. The Post is investing nearly 70 million euros in the construction project.

The groundbreaking took place in the presence of KommR Peter Hanke, City Councilor for Finance, Economy, Labor, International Affairs, and the Vienna City Utilities, Gerald Bischof, district leader of the 23rd district of Vienna, as well as the entire board of the Austrian Post AG, General Director DI Dr. Georg Pölzl, Deputy General Director and Board Member for Letters & Finance, DI Walter Oblin, and Board Member for Parcels & Logistics, DI Peter Umundum.

“The new construction of the parcel logistics center is a clear commitment by the Austrian Post to the location in Vienna and a benefit for all Viennese. Not only will jobs be secured, but new ones will also be created. The sustainable design of the center also contributes to the city’s climate goals,” said Peter Hanke, the responsible city councilor for economy and finance.

Largest Logistics Location of the Post

“With the new construction of the parcel logistics center, the location in Vienna-Inzersdorf will become the largest logistics site of the Post. In addition to innovative automation solutions and the expansion of sorting capacity, we are also implementing environmental and sustainability measures. Therefore, this location will not only be larger but also greener. During the construction work, we are taking space-saving measures, creating green roofs, and installing a new photovoltaic system. This project is a model for sustainable logistics,” explains DI Dr. Georg Pölzl, General Director, Austrian Post AG.

“I am pleased that this project brings additional jobs to the district and that landscape architects and gardeners were involved in the planning, resulting in a project that is as ecological and sustainable as possible,” said district leader Gerald Bischof.

Special Sorting Machine

The new parcel logistics center will have a capacity of 25,500 parcels per hour in the first expansion stage, which is more than double the previous parcel sorting capacity at the location. For the first time, an innovative hybrid model will be used, where three different sorting machines are employed according to the size of the parcels: a conventional cross-belt sorter handles 15,000 parcels per hour, another 9,000 parcels per hour are sorted by a dedicated small parts sorter that sorts smaller parcels with a maximum weight of five kilograms. Further specialization is achieved through a bulky goods sorter that automatically sorts and distributes 1,500 particularly large and bulky parcels per hour.

This is what the new parcel logistics center will look like, commissioning in August 2023 (© Austrian Post AG)

Additional support will be provided to the employees through the installation of two Rapid Unloaders, an intelligent, automatic parcel unloading system that takes over the unloading of swap bodies (WAB). Thus, 6,000 parcels can be unloaded completely automatically per hour. Additionally, an office building and an assembly and washing facility for the truck fleet of Transport Logistics will be constructed. The first preparatory work for the new building began in the fall of 2021.

Green Spaces for Bees and Bats

For the open and roof areas of the parcel logistics center, landscape architects and gardeners have developed an ecologically sustainable green space concept, such as greening the roof areas and equipping them with photovoltaic modules. A photovoltaic system with a capacity of two megawatts peak will be installed on the roof of the new building, and together with the existing photovoltaic system of the letter logistics center, a total capacity of 2.8 megawatts peak will be achieved.

The green spaces will be planted with native or site-appropriate shrubs, perennials, and a wildflower sowing, which will impress with their blooms in spring and with plenty of greenery in summer, providing a natural habitat for numerous animal species such as wild bees and bats.

Title photo: (© Austrian Post AG) /Caption (l. to r.): DI Walter Oblin, Deputy General Director, Board Member for Letters & Finance, Austrian Post AG, Gerald Bischof, district leader of the 23rd district of Vienna, DI Dr. Georg Pölzl, General Director, Austrian Post AG, KommR Peter Hanke, City Councilor for Finance, Economy, Labor, International Affairs, and the Vienna City Utilities, DI Peter Umundum, Board Member for Parcels & Logistics, Austrian Post AG