Leverkusen | October 24, 2007: Chemion Logistik Opens new Dangerous Goods Terminal at Dormagen Chemical Park

„With the opening of our first container warehouse at the Dormagen site we strengthen our position among Germany’s top ten terminal operators“, says Andreas Hardt, CEO of Chemion Logistik GmbH. „At the same time, this investment shows that we see ourselves as the active partner of our customers and that we are willing to act correspondingly and take entrepreneurial risks.“ Over the past four years, Chemion has invested about € 15.5 million in the expansion of existing container storage facilities, the construction of new facilities as well as in modern container technology. Thus, the logistics service provider sets up the conditions for further growth of its container business and prepares for growing demand among its customers for storage and handling capacities. According to Dr. Walter Leidinger, Head of Dormagen Chemical Park, the investment in the container facility is also a great benefit for Dormagen as an economic place. „The new container terminal stands for two central aspects of the chemical park: Safety and the best possible infrastructure. Both are indispensable for smooth operations and for the success of the facility.“

By commencing operations at the Dormagen storage facility after a construction phase of approximately nine months Chemion Logistik has increased its handling capacities for one-shift operations by 20,000 TEUs per year. Both chemical park-based customers as well as external companies will benefit from this expansion of capacities because the new warehouse is a response to the ongoing strong growth in the container business and makes sure that there is no shortage of container handling and storage capacities in the area. As the facility is directly connected to Germany’s road and rail networks and linked to the Leverkusen port terminal Chemion can also offer container handling services to transport by ship. Thus, all types of direct and combined transportation will be possible.

In planning and designing the container terminal Chemion gave particular attention to modern technology and compliance with high safety standards - just like it did at the Leverkusen sister facility: The facility is specifically designed for the handling and storage of dangerous substances and equipped with a film-coated tank construct, an online wastewater analysis system as well as a fire early warning system and a semi-stationary fire extinguishing installation. Thanks to the high safety precautions the Dormagen terminal has been granted the license authorizing operations in accordance with the provisions of the German Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) so that almost all types of hazardous materials may be stored for longer than 24 hours. Chemion’s business strategy to invest in high-performance state-of-the-art technology also finds expression in the remote controlled gantry crane which spans the entire facility and can lift containers up to 40 tons of weight. The technical equipment of the facility is completed by modern transponder technology: In 2006, the Leverkusen empty-container facility was the first Chemion site to be equipped with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and this positive experience prompted Chemion to use this technology for the Dormagen facility, too. All data associated with the containers are stored in a central database and can be recalled at any time. Communication between transponder and warehouse management system makes sure that confusion of the containers during loading and unloading can be technically ruled out. As a consequence, the safety of processes is enhanced while the manual work required for all operations can be reduced.

Your contact:
Karola Pirkl
Chemion Logistik GmbH
Bayer Chemiepark, Building X6
D-51368 Leverkusen, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)214/30-73264
Fax: +49 (0)214/30-9673264
E-mail: karola.pirkl.kp@chemion.de