Published on: May 15, 2025 / Updated on: May 15, 2025 – Author: Konrad Wolfenstein
Capacity expansion in the logistics sector: Growth through e-commerce and new mobility requirements – Image: Xpert.Digital
Strategic expansion: How companies respond to market demands
New logistics centers: E-commerce drives capacity expansions
The logistics sector is currently experiencing a period of significant capacity expansion in Germany and Switzerland. Well-known companies such as MAN Truck & Bus, Amazon, and the Swiss retail giant Migros are investing in new or expanded logistics centers. These expansions are primarily driven by the continued growth in e-commerce and the increasing demand for components for new technologies such as electromobility. These developments clearly demonstrate that companies are strategically expanding their logistics infrastructure to be prepared for future market demands.
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MAN expands logistics center for zero-emission technologies
MAN Truck & Bus has officially launched the expansion of its global logistics center in Salzgitter to accommodate the growing business with electric vehicles. The new building covers an impressive 53,000 square meters – an area comparable to seven football fields. With this expansion, the logistics center grows by almost a third to a total of approximately 235,000 square meters.
“The logistics center ensures the fast and reliable supply of our customers worldwide. In the future, we will also ship parts and spare parts for our electric vehicles from here – including batteries and battery components. This also strengthens MAN in Lower Saxony and the Salzgitter site,” explained Michael Kobriger, Board Member for Production & Logistics at MAN Truck & Bus.
The expansion is specifically tailored to the requirements of zero-emission technologies. MAN anticipates that up to 12,000 specific e-mobility components, such as batteries and other parts, will need to be stocked in Salzgitter in the coming years. This underscores the strategic shift in the commercial vehicle sector towards electric drives. MAN already operates more than 2,000 fully electric buses worldwide and plans to electrify around 50 percent of all newly delivered vehicles by 2030.
Construction is scheduled for completion by the end of this year, with operational start planned for mid-2025. The expanded logistics center will store over 220,000 different parts, enabling rapid delivery to customers and workshops in 120 countries worldwide.
Amazon plans new logistics center in Bietigheim
Online retail giant Amazon is continuing its expansion strategy in Germany and plans to build a new logistics center in Bietigheim, in the Rastatt district. The local council recently approved the project. The new center will be built on a spacious 180,000-square-meter plot of land in the industrial park between the A5 and B3 highways.
According to Amazon, the new logistics center could create around 2,000 jobs in logistics, technology, and management in the long term. The planned center will focus on small and medium-sized goods, with an impressive storage capacity of approximately 20 million items. The Bietigheim location would integrate into Amazon's already extensive network in Germany, which currently comprises 100 locations, including 23 logistics centers.
Constantin Braun, mayor of Bietigheim, emphasizes the opportunities the project offers: “The project opens up the chance to create new jobs and apprenticeships and to strengthen the municipality as a business and commercial location.” Amazon currently has ten locations in Baden-Württemberg with a total of around 3,000 employees.
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Migros centralizes logistics in western Switzerland
Significant logistical restructuring is taking place not only in Germany but also in Switzerland. The Swiss retail group Migros is consolidating the logistics of its four cooperatives in western Switzerland. From July 2025, Migros Logistique Romande will take over all logistics in the region, with 500 employees transferring to the new organization.
This centralization is part of a broader trend toward consolidation and efficiency improvement in the logistics industry, where companies pool their resources to achieve economies of scale and improve operational efficiency.
E-commerce as a key growth driver in the logistics sector
Expansion in the logistics sector is largely driven by the continued growth of e-commerce. In 2023, B2C e-commerce revenue in Germany amounted to €85.4 billion, representing an increase of approximately one percent compared to the previous year. Despite economic challenges such as inflation and a strained economic situation, e-commerce is slowly recovering, and renewed growth of around 3.4 percent is forecast for 2024.
Among the highest-selling product categories in online retail in Germany are clothing, electronics, and telecommunications. The "Fashion & Accessories" sector leads the way with almost a quarter of total online sales in Germany, followed by "Consumer Electronics" with 22.3 percent.
Amazon, one of the leading e-commerce players, has significantly increased its workforce in Germany: “We have hired more than 4,000 employees – and this trend will continue,” said the company's head of operations in Germany, Rocco Bräuniger. With more than 40,000 employees in Germany and numbers continuing to grow, Amazon is investing heavily in new locations and technologies.
Technological innovations are revolutionizing modern logistics centers
The new and expanded logistics centers are increasingly relying on innovative technologies to boost efficiency and meet the demands of modern commerce. Amazon, for example, is increasingly using robotics, scanners, and advanced computer systems in its logistics centers, enabling the daily processing of millions of items. In Dortmund, Amazon unveiled a robot approximately three meters tall, named Vulcan, which retrieves products from shelves and can accurately identify them using sensors.
Modern technology also plays a key role at MAN. Part of the expanded logistics center in Salzgitter is designed for the TRATON Modular System (TMS), which standardizes spare parts supply for all TRATON GROUP brands. In addition, special areas for high-voltage technology are being set up, and employees are receiving appropriate training.
In addition to increasing efficiency, logistics companies are increasingly focusing on sustainability. Amazon, for example, is ordering more electric trucks for Europe, with more than 50 of them expected to be operating in Germany, in order to improve the company's CO2 footprint.
Challenges and future prospects for the logistics sector
Despite significant growth, the logistics sector faces various challenges. At Amazon, for example, the Verdi union criticizes the lack of legally binding collective agreements and reports enormous performance pressure, exhausting work intensification, and workplace surveillance.
The future prospects for the logistics sector are nevertheless promising. The trend towards same-day delivery, where customers receive their orders on the same day, is being further expanded. Amazon already offers this service in over 30 German metropolitan areas and plans to expand further, as demand increases, particularly for everyday goods, when they are delivered the same day.
Continuous expansion as a response to changing market conditions
The capacity expansions by MAN, Amazon, and Migros illustrate that companies are continuously adapting their logistics infrastructure to changing market conditions. The growth of e-commerce and electromobility, in particular, necessitates new and expanded logistics centers.
By strategically positioning new locations and integrating modern technologies, these companies are creating the conditions to meet increasing demands for speed, efficiency, and sustainability. Investments in the logistics sector underscore its central importance to the modern economy and point to continued growth in the coming years.
These developments clearly show that the logistics sector is undergoing profound change, driven by technological advancements, evolving customer expectations, and new business models. Companies that invest proactively in these areas are likely to maintain a competitive edge and benefit from the continued growth of e-commerce.
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