Leipzig/Halle airport

Leipzig/Halle Airport is ranked the fourth busiest cargo hub in Europe and Germany’s second-largest cargo airport, with an annually increasing cargo volume and recent all time high of 1.4 million tonnes of cargo handled in 2020. Numerous leading international logistics companies such as Amazon Air, Lufthansa Cargo, DB Schenker and Kühne+Nagel base themselves around this flourishing centre. More than 80 cargo airlines fly to and from the airport. Leipzig/Halle airport has continued to operate throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and serves as a vital transhipment centre for medical relief supplies and protective equipment in the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Covering an area of 87,700 m², DHL Express operates the most modern and largest air freight hub in the entire global DHL Express network near the Leipzig/Halle Airport. Their European air freight hub handles 150,000 packages per hour and delivers to 220 countries and regions.

24-hour operation makes express freight ‘night jumps’ and next day delivery possible from Leipzig/Halle Airport. It is also the first regional airfreight centre for Amazon Air in Europe.

Road and rail logistics in the Leipzig Region

Leipzig is located at a major interchange between national north-to-south and east-to-west railway lines as well as forming part of the new silk railroad providing an ecological land bridge between Europe and Asia.

In addition to air and rail, four congestion-free motorways enable connections to almost all-important economic areas in Europe in less than ten truck hours. This unique connection offers the perfect growth environment for logistics service providers, online retailers, and tradespeople of all sizes.

E-commerce businesses in the Leipzig Region

Thanks to the strong IT growth that the Leipzig Region is experiencing, combined with the excellent logistics and supply chain links, the region has become a popular base for full-service e-commerce businesses.

As early as the mid-2000s, Amazon decided to set up a branch in the Leipzig Region. Since then, the e-commerce and tech giant has continuously expanded its local presence, operating its first regional air freight centre in Europe at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Wholesalers such as Future Electronics and Ernsting’s Family also thrive at the location.

The list of other well-known industry representatives is long, including innovative online marketing agencies such as diva-e, and platforms such as the business e-procurement platform mercateo, the popular comparison sites Check24 and Verivox, reseller momox, and the successful etailer Relaxdays. It also includes companies from the field of webshop management such as dot.Source to internationally active software and solution providers such as DESCARTES Systems.

Research partners for logistics and supply chains in the Leipzig Region

The Institute of Information Systems at the University of Leipzig has an endowed professorship for information systems in logistics, researching various aspects of IT support in logistics service systems based on the division of labour. Also part of this institute is the Logistics Living Lab innovation platform – an open space for innovation, demonstration, and collaboration between logistics players from industry, science, and administration, making tomorrow’s logistics more efficient, greener, and safer.

In addition, the Chair of IT-supported Logistics at the renowned HHL also researches the development of business models in this area and approaches for integrative electronic supply chain management (e-SCM).

BMWi runs the SMile project exploiting the potential of digitisation for Smart Last-Mile Logistics in the Leipzig Region. They are currently calling for proposals exploring new areas of application for digital services and platforms in this field. Project partners are GoodsTag GmbH, which acts as consortium leader, GS1 Germany GmbH, Parcelbox GmbH, the University of Leipzig, and the Hasso Plattner Institute.

The Leipzig Region also boasts expertise along the e-commerce value chain: The Center for Scalable Data Analytics & Artificial Intelligence (ScaDS.AI) drives research in the fields of big data, AI and AI and, like the AI Hub Saxony, makes a significant contribution to strengthening the location as a nationwide innovation hot spot.

Logistics business networks in the Leipzig Region

More than 100 members from logistics services, industry, trade, supply, administration and education are active in the Central German Logistics Network. In addition to the annual Central German Logistics Forum, the association organises joint trade fair participations, such as at the world’s leading trade fair transport logistics.

The annual summit meetings of the International Transport Forum also take place in Leipzig.

The Leipzig Region is also the headquarters of the e-commerce Traders Association (Händlerbund). Founded in Leipzig in 2008 the e-commerce association has over 60,000 members. The largest online trade association in Europe promotes the exchange between traders and service providers for the support and sustainability of digital and stationery trade.

Logistics and E-commerce education in the Leipzig Region

A wide range of training and further education programmes provides the Leipzig Region with a steady supply of young skilled logistics workers. Many local companies train warehouse specialists, warehouse logistics specialists and logistics services clerks.

Chamber of commerce-certified logistics masters learn vital skills in the Training Centre for Technology of the Bildungswerk Sächsische Wirtschaft (Saxon Business Training Centre). In addition, the Saxony University of Cooperative Education offers a dual course of study in transport business administration and logistics.

From October 2022 Lancaster University Leipzig will begin running an MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management (L & SCM).

At the renowned HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, ideas are born from which numerous e-commerce start-ups have already emerged. Thanks to its strong focus on business innovation, more than 300 start-ups have emerged from the prestigious university so far. The most successful of these are often from e-commerce and digital business: companies such as Spreadshirt, Mister Spex, trivago, AboutYou, Delivery Hero, Auto1, IONIQ and Flaconi all have their roots at HHL.

Degree programmes such as Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship shape the founders of tomorrow, while the SpinLab provides the perfect accelerator environment for Start-ups to grow into success businesses.

Relocation services for your logistics business

Invest Region Leipzig is a unique partner in Germany for companies looking to relocate or start a business in the region.

We’re here to help you throughout your whole relocation journey including:

• Searching for suitable space
• Identifying skilled workers
• Connecting you with business partners
• Providing tailored confidential information to support your relocation
• Researching cluster infrastructure
• Helping you with funding opportunities

Moreover, thanks to our free of charge soft-landing programme, nowhere in Germany is easier to invest in as the Leipzig region.