With a capacity to sort 6,000 items per hour, SPOX will enable DHL Express Germany to handle a mixed flow of regular and small parcels in the Cologne facility – including those with a height as low as 5 mm. This revolutionary sorter has been designed and built with sustainability in mind: when components wear out, they can be refurbished and then reintegrated into the system. In addition, the installation project will provide two chutes, nine truck outfeeds and three van lines.
As part of the package, Vanderlande will implement PACE Sort, the company’s high-level sortation control software. This delivers secure host integration and advanced sortation logic to help manage complex parcel flows. It will be the first time this software has been installed at a greenfield site for DHL Express.
“This contract win reflects DHL’s trust in Vanderlande and shows the strength of our longstanding partnership,” says Markus Ehrmann, Executive Managing Director with Vanderlande. “We’re delighted to be installing SPOX, our unique sorting solution that has been manufactured according to the principles of circularity, and which provides customers with improved flexibility and accuracy.”
“Vanderlande’s solution will allow us to handle the parcel flow with increased efficiency, along with the ability to sort a diverse range of items,” adds Christian Knieps, Director of Engineering at DHL Express Germany. “As ever, our team will be working closely with Vanderlande through the installation phase to ensure a seamless integration before go-live, which is set for September 2026.”
Company profile of Vanderlande
Vanderlande is a market-leading, global partner for future-proof logistic process automation in the warehousing, airports and parcel sectors. Its extensive portfolio of integrated solutions – innovative systems, intelligent software and life-cycle services – results in the realisation of fast, reliable and efficient automation technology.
The company focuses on the optimisation of its customers’ business processes and competitive positions. Through close cooperation, it strives for the improvement of their operational activities and the expansion of their logistical achievements.
Vanderlande’s warehousing solutions are the first choice for many of the largest global e-commerce players and retailers in food, fashion and general merchandise across the globe. The company helps them to fulfil their promise of same-day delivery for billions of orders, with nine of the 15 largest global food retailers relying on its efficient and reliable solutions.
As a global partner for future-proof airport automation, Vanderlande’s market-leading baggage handling systems and related passenger solutions are capable of moving over 4 billion pieces of baggage around the world per year. These are active in more than 600 airports, including 17 of the world’s top 20. In addition, around 440 of Vanderlande’s security lanes are installed at checkpoints worldwide.
Vanderlande is also a leading supplier of process automation solutions that address the challenges in the parcel market. More than 52 million parcels are sorted by its systems every day, which have been installed for the world’s leading parcel handling companies.
Established in 1949, Vanderlande has more than 11,000 employees, all committed to moving its customers’ businesses forward at diverse locations on every continent. With a turnover of 2.3 billion euros in FY2025, it has established a worldwide reputation over the past seven decades as a global partner for future-proof logistic process automation.
Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) acquired Vanderlande in 2017 to cement its global leading position within material handling. It aims to achieve this by increasing its presence in all integrated and automated projects, and capitalising on the synergies between the organisations and the added value they offer to the market.
TICO therefore launched the Toyota Automated Logistics Group (TALG), which consists of Toyota L&F, Bastian Solutions, Vanderlande and viastore. TALG is a global partner for integrated logistic process automation, with its group companies collaborating under the guiding principle: for every challenge, a reliable solution.
In May 2025, Vanderlande completed the acquisition of Siemens Logistics’ operations outside the USA and in doing so welcomed more than 2,000 new employees. The acquisition supports the company’s strategic ambition to accelerate its growth in automated logistics, particularly strengthening its capacity to deliver baggage, cargo and digital airport solutions.