Construction is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2025 and will take about a year. The expansion will add approximately 11 hectares to the site, including 750 new vehicle parking spaces. This development will streamline logistics and reduce transportation needs, cutting emissions and easing local traffic congestion.
The expansion will significantly lower the company's reliance on external parking areas. The number of rented parking locations around the plant will be reduced from over 20 to 10, all within six kilometers of the facility.
“The large parking area on site is also important in terms of sustainability. At the moment, we have to park some vehicles a number of kilometers away from the plant until they are ready to be picked up by the customer, as there is not enough parking space at the delivery centre. Thanks to the 750 extra parking spaces, the number of transport kilometers required can be reduced by around 200,000 kilometers a year, which corresponds to a saving of around 80 per cent. This will significantly reduce strain on local traffic and will also cut CO₂ emissions from our in-house transport by around 80 per cent, which will save approximately 150 tonnes of CO₂ per year,” said Plant Director Christian Glebe.
The initiative also includes increasing the use of electrically powered yard vehicles to further minimize emissions and noise pollution.
Through this investment, Schmitz Cargobull reinforces its commitment to sustainability while optimizing operations at the Vreden site.