Garbe Industrial Development has announced that the rolling stock manufacturer Alstom has been secured as a tenant for a newly built logistics property in Salzgitter. The property will serve Alstom for the storage and distribution of spare and new parts for locomotives and trains. Garbe Industrial invested EUR 40 million in the new construction project, which was completed in the first quarter of the current year.
Luisa Elfendahl, Regional Head Central / Development at Garbe Industrial, stated that the decision to develop the logistics property in Salzgitter without a prior rental commitment proved to be correct. This was the only way to promptly meet Alstom's short-term space requirements. She added that it would continue to be crucial for companies with short- to medium-term space needs that project developers build proactively and provide modern spaces.
The logistics property has a total area of 31,200 square metres, which has been fully leased by Alstom and already occupied. Approximately 27,700 square metres of this are hall areas, while the mezzanine area amounts to around 1,900 square metres. Offices and social rooms comprise about 1,600 square metres. For loading and unloading operations, the property is equipped with 29 loading docks and twelve ground-level sectional doors. A specific requirement from Alstom concerned nine of these sectional doors on the rear of the building, which allow for side unloading. This functionality is important for large-volume rail components. The doors are also protected from weather influences by a 2,000 square metre canopy. The outdoor area offers six lorry and 112 car parking spaces, some with pre-installations for EV charging stations.
Revitalisation of an industrial brownfield site
The new logistics property was built on a 51,000 square metre industrial brownfield site, which Garbe Industrial had acquired from Alstom four years prior. The area, formerly the location of an ammunition factory, required extensive remediation before construction began, as well as the removal of unexploded ordnance and other contamination. As part of this process, former building foundations were demolished, concrete slabs removed, and shafts and underground bunkers eliminated. The soil was then excavated and professionally disposed of. Garbe Industrial leveraged its many years of experience in dealing with formerly industrially used areas for this project.
Luisa Elfendahl underlined that the revitalisation of brownfields sustainably upgrades locations and simultaneously creates attractive settlement potential for companies through modern project developments. The Salzgitter location is compelling due to its favourable transport links south of the Hanover – Wolfsburg – Braunschweig urban triangle. The A39 is only a few kilometres away and connects Salzgitter northwards to Wolfsburg and the A2 (Dortmund – Berlin), and southwards to the A7 (Hamburg – Ulm).
During the property's development, Garbe Industrial took recognised ESG criteria into account. The building is heated by district heating. The roof areas are pre-equipped for the installation of a photovoltaic system. Garbe Industrial is aiming for certification according to the Gold Standard of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) for the new building.
