Christmas time is packing time. Online trade is booming, and it’s also the hottest time of the year for Swiss Post. The women and men in yellow are probably among the most important helpers of Santa Claus and the Christkindl. It is important to bring all letters and parcels to the people under the Christmas tree on time. This can be experienced in the DHL parcel center in Aschheim. The conveyor belts no longer stand still, trucks pass the site every minute. “We sort and distribute up to 650,000 items here on peak days,” says Florian Betz, head of the parcel center. This is an increase of almost 40 percent compared to the annual average.
Longer working hours, more shifts, additional workers and a larger fleet – this is how Betz tries to relieve his employees. “The stressful time in the Aschheim parcel center begins with the sales campaign days in autumn and ends at the beginning of January,” explains the manager. Sonja Radojicic from Deutsche Post’s press office in Munich says it’s always a challenge to recruit enough staff for the crucial phase before Christmas. But you can manage. She speaks at Aschheim from the largest parcel location in Germany.
Online trade and then Christmas: the flood of parcels is growing.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
Not only the amount of parcels and letters is a challenge for employees like shift manager Claus Ziebuhr. As he walks through a hall of the parcel center, he shows poorly packed parcels, smudged addresses and parcel strings that get tangled up in the sorting machines. In his nine years at the Post, Ziebuhr has seen a lot: “We once had a plague of locusts in the left side of the parcel center. They jumped out of a poorly packaged parcel,” he explains, amused and visibly disgusted at the same time. “Even honey leaked out of a package before,” Ziebuhr reluctantly recalls. “Something like that slows down sorting. After all, everything has to be cleaned up again,” adds Betz. In order to avoid such additional burdens, especially at Christmas time, he recommends to senders: “Pack your mail properly.”
Florian Betz heads the parcel post center (left) and is experiencing the most strenuous weeks of the year with shift manager Claus Ziebuhr.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
During the tour of the parcel center, the manager explains the individual work steps: “First the truck drives to one of the 200 gates in the unloading area. There the shipments are accepted.” Betz points to employees who accept the packages and packages and place them on a conveyor belt. According to Betz, up to 30,000 shipments pass through the conveyor belts in the Aschheim parcel center every hour. With larger shipments you can clearly see the effort of the workers. Because the so-called bulky goods must be sorted separately. It’s easier with smaller packages: “They are sorted manually and automatically. A scanner reads the addresses here. A distinction is made between long-distance and short-distance destinations.” According to Betz, the latter are dispatched in and around Munich. He roughly limits the area: “Nearby destinations range from Freilassing to Dachau.”
The packages are stacked in the truck like in the computer game Tetris.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
Once everything is sorted, the near-destination packages come over wooden bridges into roll containers. Employees then load the shipments into a swap body. Another truck will pick up the container later. Similar to Tetris, the employees load one packet after the other into it. In the case of long-distance destinations, conveyor belts lead directly to the swap bodies. “It’s exhausting to cope with the higher parcel volumes during the Christmas season,” admits shift manager Ziebuhr.
According to the manager of the parcel center, employees are proud when they clear everything away before Christmas.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
But the Christmas season in the parcel center in Aschheim can also give something to the employees: “It feels like you’re working towards a world championship,” explains Claus Ziebuhr. By that he means the pressure to perform, the thrill and, of course, the feeling of success when you achieve maximum amounts. “This year we want to do 700,000 shows in one day. Let’s see if that works,” he says. Florian Betz: “Every now and then the employees go home singing and whistling. They are happy and proud of their work.”
In any case, it’s a good idea to get your Christmas mail out by mid-December. Press spokeswoman Sonja Radojicic knows how senders can accommodate Swiss Post in these stressful times. She gives some tips on shipping. There are deadlines: According to Radojicic, parcels and packages within Germany must be sent by December 20th. The last possible date for letters and postcards is December 22 before the mailbox is emptied. Nevertheless, she advises ordering and sending packages early.
When it comes to packaging, it is important to choose the right one. Because parcels and packages must always be securely packed inside and out. A stable cardboard box that is padded with sufficient filling material is suitable for this. Then glue well. Used packaging with old address or barcode stickers is not suitable for shipping. “Parcels should not be tied with a thread or a bow, because they can get stuck during automated processing,” says the spokeswoman. Only certified bottle boxes may be used for shipping bottles.
You also have to be careful with the addresses: According to Radojicic, you should write them legibly and use a pen whose color is clearly visible. The correct zip code should be noted on the outside. The home address with street name and house number should be used for parcels and parcels instead of the post office box address.
The greater Munich area and beyond is supplied from Aschheim.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
No stamps belong on parcels. Instead, there are special stamps for franking in the branch or online. “Cash and valuables must be sent as ‘registered value’ – not in simple standard letters. Deutsche Post is not liable if cash is sent in normal letters if it is lost.” If the queue in the DHL parcel shops and branches is too long, parcels can also be sent contactless at DHL Packstations.
Recipients can also help Swiss Post: It is possible to specify a storage location on your property or to name the agreed neighbor for parcel reception, says Radocjicic. It is also possible to have the package sent directly to a DHL Packstation. However, it is important to pick it up as early as possible. In this way, the next packages will find a place again. “DHL informs registered customers by e-mail or push message in the DHL app when a parcel is ready for collection at a branch or a DHL parcel shop.”