DHL eCommerce relocates N.C.-based distribution center from Raleigh to Concord

Late last week, DHL eCommerce, a subsidiary of global logistics services provider, Deutsche Post DHL Group, announced it relocated its Raleigh, N.C.-based distribution center (DC) to Concord, N.C.

The new 162,836 square-foot DC is located at 8475 Automation Drive and 30 minutes from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, said DHL. The company said that this facility is staffed by around 150 employees, working two shifts seven days per week and processing B2C (business-to-consumer) e-commerce domestic inbound and outbound parcels and packages for U.S-based online merchants.

Company officials noted that this facility was initially used as an annex for DHL eCommerce’s Atlanta-based DC during the 2023 holiday shopping season and since August 18 “it is fully operational and prepared for the 2024 holiday shipping rush.”

Key features of this new DC include:

• state-of-the-art automation with a single-loop level sorter (with a 97%-to-99% accuracy rate, including scanners and cameras able to process 24,000 packages per hour, a 30% improvement over the Raleigh location; and
• One EV charger, air exchange with automated controls for energy savings;
• ENERGY STAR-certified HVAC equipment and appliances;
• WaterSense certification on all plumbing fixtures for water conservation; and
• two meeting rooms, a training room, office space, and a multipurpose room for nursing mothers and other uses

“Online merchant customers in the Southeast region can benefit from our new North Carolina location because we can handle more volume with our larger facility, just in time to usher in the peak holiday shipping season in a few months,” said Lee Spratt, CEO of DHL eCommerce, Americas, in a statement.

A DHL eCommerce spokesperson told LM that there were a few different factors driving the decision for the company to move this DC from Raleigh to Concord.

“At DHL eCommerce we are constantly evaluating our footprints to maximize service and minimize costs,” said the spokesperson. “We saw more robust air operations via Charlotte and we wanted to improve our sorting technology. This new site enabled us to install a larger loop sorter. One of the main benefits is that we can process more of our online merchant customers’ volume with the larger facility. Our new state-of-the-art loop sorter can handle 30% more throughput than at the previous location and with greater accuracy. This means faster, more reliable service for online merchant customers, especially during peak shipping seasons.”