New GEODIS Paris facility moves to environmentally friendly model

French supply chain company GEODIS opened a new 15,000-square-meter distribution center in Paris, near its old site in the 12th Arrondissement near Porte de Charenton, with the intent to make logistics a little bit greener.

The new center is representative of GEODIS’ priorities surrounding more environmentally friendly distribution in cities, which the company plans to achieve by using logistics bases in different parts of Paris and implementing an electric vehicle fleet. The facility offers two new sorting lines, an overhead line, with a sorting capability of 2,500 parcels an hour, and a ground line for pallets, which can process 200 pallets per hour.

All told, these speed enhancements add up to a total processing capacity of 3,000 deliveries, or 8,400 parcels, per day.

Olivier Melot, executive vice president of distribution and express with GEODIS, said the new site is unique, as it forms the foundation for “an unprecedented network, based on a ‘blue-base’ system, which is located as close as possible to our Parisian customers” and “strengthens our position to serve central Paris.” GEODIS’ “blue bases” are its city logistics hubs, from which its carbon-friendly vehicles make “final kilometer” deliveries.

As a further development in building the new network, Melot added that GEODIS will introduce 30 additional electric vehicles in the next few weeks. In the longer term, GEODIS plans to implement more environmentally friendly services, such as on-foot deliveries, evening deliveries and new pick-up locations.