With over 80,000 employees at more than 1,300 locations in over 100 countries, the Kuehne+Nagel Group is one of the world's leading logistics companies. Its strong market position lies in the areas of sea logistics, air logistics, road logistics and contract logistics with a clear focus on integrated logistics solutions. At the new site in Wittenburg in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a global spare parts warehouse is being built from which customers in Germany, Europe and worldwide will be supplied. Unloading, incoming goods inspection, storage, inventory management, picking, packing, loading and other additional services will also be provided.

Panattoni is constructing the user-specific build-to-suit (BTS) property on a site area of around 70800 square meters. The site, which was used for agriculture in the GDR era, has already been demolished by the town of Wittenburg. Once completed, the new building will have a total usable area of around 3,6500 square meters, of which around 21,000 square meters will be warehouse and technical space, 1,150 square meters will be office and social space and 1,800 square meters will be storage space. In addition, there are around 2,500 square meters of outdoor storage space and 10,000 square meters for an expansion area for future growth of the end customer. The building will be equipped with a hazardous materials room and a WGK (water hazard class) liner. The hall height is 12.20 meters from the lower edge of the truss (UKB). In addition, 100 car parking spaces and extensive green and compensation areas will be created on the outside areas.

"We are delighted to have found a partner in Panattoni that can implement our requirements competently and precisely. A logistics center is being built near the existing customer site in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which is ideally suited for the worldwide shipping of spare parts. As a pioneer in the logistics industry, it is particularly important to us to make our contribution to a carbon-free future. In addition to certified multimodal CO2 calculation and reporting, electricity from exclusively renewable energy sources and sustainable packaging materials in the spirit of 'reduce, re-use, recycle, replace', we therefore attach great importance to a sustainable location," says Mark Klausen, Head of Real Estate Germany at Kuehne+Nagel.

DGNB Gold Standard certification

As part of the development, Panattoni is focusing on sustainable construction and is aiming for certification in accordance with the DGNB Gold Standard. To this end, the developer is implementing extensive sustainability measures in consultation with Kühne+Nagel. In addition to air-to-water heat pumps for the office and social areas, an intelligent energy management system with digital meters will be installed to save energy and optimize consumption. The developer also relies on LED lighting and cisterns that allow the collected rainwater to be used for toilet flushing and watering the outdoor facilities. Charging stations for electric vehicles and e-bikes provide low-emission mobility solutions, while the roof construction of the new building is pre-equipped for a photovoltaic system. The developer is also installing nesting boxes for bats, birds and beehives and creating wellbeing areas for employees. Last but not least, the installation of green roofs and the use of infiltration-compatible materials for the sprinkler control center and smoking and bicycle shelters are planned.

The new logistics center is being built in the "Auf der Heide" industrial estate, which is currently being developed and opened up by the town of Wittenburg. Thanks to its direct connection to the A24 federal highway, which links Berlin and Hamburg, the property has a strategically good location.

Strategically good location

Berit Steinberg, Managing Director of Wirtschaftsförderung Südwestmecklenburg, has been involved in the relocation process from the very beginning and thus contributed to the realization of the project in Wittenburg. Commenting on the project, she says: "The development of the new site for the well-known logistics company Kühne+Nagel in Wittenburg is a great success for the entire region. Attracting new companies and creating jobs in Südwestmecklenburg is the primary objective of our work as an economic development agency. The construction of the new logistics center contributes to the economic strength of our district and shows that Southwest Mecklenburg is an attractive location for companies that want to grow."

Christian Greger, Mayor of the town of Wittenburg, is also delighted with the new development: "The logistics center for Kühne+Nagel, which is now being built in the new 'Auf der Heide' industrial estate, will create around 75 new jobs and is a real gain for Wittenburg as a business location. The parallel development of the industrial estate has necessitated close coordination with the developer Panattoni and other authorities. Thanks to the consistently constructive cooperation, a very ambitious schedule can be achieved."

"In Wittenburg, we are realizing a tailor-made property that meets the complex requirements of Kühne+Nagel. For example, a location with a strategically good location for the end customer had to be found. It also had to be close to the current location in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. At the request of the logistics service provider, the construction also involved generic halls with a high degree of third-party use for subsequent tenants from production, light industrial and logistics. We would particularly like to thank the town of Wittenburg, the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim, the Southwest Mecklenburg Economic Development Agency, the Road Construction Authority and the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Ministry of Economics for their trusting and cooperative partnership," explains Fred-Markus Bohne, Managing Partner at Panattoni Germany and Austria.

Construction began at the beginning of March with earthworks and drainage work and will now continue in May with the building construction work. Completion is scheduled for the turn of the year 2023/2024. Commissioning with the takeover of the customer business is scheduled for 2024.

This article appeared in issue 4/23