New Scots parcel depot delivers scores of jobs

Parcel delivery company DPD has created 65 jobs with scores more in the pipeline after cutting the ribbon on its largest ever depot, at EuroCentral in Lanarkshire.

The Lanarkshire site was opened by Dwain McDonald and Neil Gray MP. Picture: Contributed

The new distribution centre, which extends to more than 70,000 square feet, is located near junction seven of the M8 motorway.

The facility, which is capable of processing more than 45,000 parcels a day, is part of an ongoing investment programme by the firm to “expand network capacity and improve efficiency”. It is DPD’s 31st purpose-built new depot since 2012 and will supplement two existing Glasgow depots, at Cambuslang and Tannochside.

The firm said the EuroCentral centre would enable it to “further optimise” delivery routes around Scotland’s largest city and the wider Central Belt, with 117 new routes introduced to ensure the operation can handle the parcel volume growth predicted in the area through to 2025.

Recruitment has been underway for a number of months, and in total the site could create up to 200 jobs when it is fully operational. The new posts will cover a range of roles including drivers, operations and warehousing.

DPD said the investment in the facility followed a “period of sustained growth”, with the group experiencing double-digit annual parcel volume increases for a number of years.

The firm also recently reported a 40 per cent year-on-year increase in weekend parcel volumes, while its app now has some three million users across the UK.

Parcel delivery firms have experienced a surge in business as more and more shoppers order goods online.

DPD’s latest Scottish distribution centre was officially opened by the MP for Airdrie and Shotts, Neil Gray, and the delivery company’s chief executive, Dwain McDonald.

McDonald said: “The new distribution centre is stunning and it is both our biggest ever depot and our most technologically advanced.

“We’ve invested heavily in Scotland in recent years with a big new distribution centre in Edinburgh and a purpose-built depot in Aberdeen.

“The investment in new larger, fully automated, purpose-built facilities in the last six years has made a huge difference to our operational efficiency across the network.”

DPD is a member of DPD Group – owned by France’s La Poste. The company operates more than 8,000 vehicles from 56 locations and delivers 230 million parcels a year.