DHL Supply Chain and MG Real Estate constructing new Life Sciences and Healthcare campus near Brussels
DHL Supply Chain, a global market leader in supply chain management and contract logistics, and MG Real Estate, a high-speed European developer in the fields of logistics, offices, residential and retail, are going to start construction of a new, state-of-the-art Life Sciences and Healthcare (LSH) campus at the Laekebeek Industry Zone in Lot, close to Brussels. The 28,000 m² building, which will replace the current DHL Supply Chain facilities in Huizingen and Lot and bring their activities under one roof, is three kilometres from the existing Lot location. In line with DHL's sustainability strategy, the campus will be fully carbon neutral. DHL looked for the right partner to realise this campus and found it in high-speed developer MG Real Estate.
Facts & figures
- The Laekebeek Industry Zone in Lot welcomes a new, 28,000 m² Life Sciences and Healthcare campus.
- The facility will be equipped with innovative and integrated automation technologies.
- In line with DHL's sustainability strategy, the building will be 100% carbon neutral.
- The preparatory works have already started, and the campus will come into use in the last quarter of 2021.
The new building will be brought into use in the last quarter of 2021. With this investment, DHL Supply Chain strengthens its leading position in the Belgian Life Sciences & Healthcare industry.
The contract for the start of the construction work was signed earlier this month by John Scherders, CEO of DHL Supply Chain Benelux & Scandinavia, Peter Korte, VP LSH Benelux & Denmark, and Ignace Tytgat, CEO of MG Real Estate.
The new site in Lot will cover 28,000 m². Alongside more than twenty loading and unloading bays and separate bays for refrigerated pharmaceutical products, there will be sufficient storage space to facilitate further operational growth and cope with seasonal demand.
Innovative technologies
The facility will fully conform to the pharmaceutical GxP quality systems and ISO standards and will be equipped with innovative and integrated automation technologies. The site will boast not only ‘goods-to-persons’ and ‘pick-to-light’ workstations but also high-capacity shuttle systems, automated packing systems and sorting machines, integrated weight controls and many other innovative solutions. Furthermore, the design incorporates closed cold chains for the handling and storage of pharmaceutical products, and there will be a large pharmaceutical packing area.
100% green
Thanks to high-speed developer MG Real Estate, the LSH campus will not only be modern and innovative, but also completely carbon neutral. The energy used will be 100% green and the location will be equipped with energy-saving LED lighting and movement sensors, energy/heat recovery systems and an energy management system that reduces energy consumption. The campus therefore contributes to Mission 2050, DHL's sustainability strategy, which aims to make the logistics company completely emission-free by 2050.
Milestone for Belgium
Over the last 6 years, DHL has built over 20 new Life Sciences and Healthcare sites in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Two of these have been in the Benelux region: the Netherlands, to be precise. This new campus in Lot is therefore the first such site for DHL Supply Chain in Belgium. Peter Korte is pleased that it is happening: “With the new building we want to strengthen the leading position of DHL in the Life Sciences & Healthcare industry. It's an important milestone in our growth strategy in Belgium, as it allows us to better respond to the needs of our clients and the expectations of the market.”
MG Real Estate has already started the preparatory work, and the real construction work will begin soon. The building will be fitted out in autumn 2021 and the full transition from the existing locations to the new site is earmarked for the last quarter of next year.