On January 23, Prologis and Yusen Logistics (Deutschland) celebrated the construction start of a logistics facility in Bottrop with a blend of Japanese and German tradition. After a traditional sake barrel ceremony, “kagami-biraki,” a typical German groundbreaking ceremony took place to mark the official first day of construction for the 57,200 square meter building.
A sustainable logistics center with two facilities will be built on the Braker Strasse site, which Yusen Logistics will use as a new European central warehouse for Mitsubishi Electric. The buildings will be constructed in accordance with the BEG-40 program, WELL Building Gold certification and DNGB Platinum certification. To achieve these standards, the buildings will be all-electric facilities and heated with heat pumps. Solar panels will be installed on the roofs of each unit, which should enable Yusen Logistics to produce enough electricity to cover its needs. These measures will help the company reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 7,000 tons annually. In addition, Prologis will create a comfortable and pleasant working environment onsite with electric charging stations for cars and bicycles, green facades, an outdoor gym and pingpong tables. The brownfield project is scheduled for completion at the end of 2024.
“The logistics center in Bottrop is a high-quality addition to our nationwide real estate portfolio because the strategically advantageous and central location in the Ruhr area not only facilitates Yusen Logistics' daily operations, but also supports efficient supply chains,” said Philipp Feige, vice president, head of capital deployment at Prologis.
Project lead Christina Deuß, director, capital deployment Germany at Prologis, added, “At the same time, it is in line with our sustainability strategy to repurpose old brownfield sites. The site, which was formerly used by a steel production company, is ideally suited for the construction of the logistics facility with high sustainability standards.”
Approximately 70 people attended the groundbreaking ceremony, including representatives from Prologis, Yusen Logistics, Mitsubishi, the real estate agent affiliated with the project, the consulting and construction company, the city of Bottrop and the Bottrop Economic Development Agency.
“The combination of Japanese and German tradition at the groundbreaking ceremony symbolizes much more than just the start of a construction project. It stands for the coming together of different cultures, reflecting our global perspective and the diversity of our partnerships,” explained Toshikazu Shiota, managing director at Yusen Logistics (Deutschland). “The project also embodies our efforts to increase the efficiency of our logistics services while demonstrating our commitment to sustainable practices. Our collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric and Prologis is an important step in advancing standards in the logistics industry.”
Donations to local institutions
The Prologis team also used the groundbreaking ceremony to thank the people of Bottrop for being good neighbors. Bottrop’s Tafel food bank, hospice and animal shelter each received a donation check amounting to 5,000 euros.
