September 17, 2011, Kiebitzberg® Group

Converted historic railroad carriage from the Kiebitzberg® company in Havelberg now connects two DPD buildings in Frankfurt-Raunheim

Yesterday, it took a sure instinct for an 18-ton railroad wagon: At DPD Zeitfracht in Raunheim near Frankfurt, the saloon wagon originally used by the Swiss railroad and now converted by Kiebitzberg® reached its spectacular destination yesterday. The 20.40 meter long and three meter wide wagon was lifted with the help of two heavy-duty cranes around 30 meters high as a connecting corridor between two DPD Zeitfracht buildings. Precision work for the crane operators, as the heavyweight only had a clearance of around five centimetres on each side.

This unique bridge now connects the former administration building with the new administration center with parcel store, offices and conference room. „In future the bridge will represent the link between the past and the future of the company, the company in Raunheim is now the largest DPD depot in Europe. Every day, more than 150,000 parcels are handled there on 6.3 kilometers of conveyor belt,“ reveals Ulrich Rudler, Production Manager at Kiebitzberg Schiffswerft.

Picture gallery of the Kiebitzberg® wagon bridge project: Conversion, loading, installation

In order to lift the wagon to its destination, every move had to be perfect to prevent the body of the wagon from deforming or twisting. „But everything worked out perfectly and we are delighted to have completed this enormous and prestigious project on time,“ explains Florian Lewerken, Head of the Solid Surface Processing and Ship Fitting Department.

Zeitfracht Logistik had been planning this project for three years and had finally found a competent partner in Havelberg through a recommendation. The Kiebitzberg® shipyard is virtually predestined for such complex tasks. „Our specialty is developing and implementing solutions and feasible planning for such complex projects,“ says Andreas Lewerken, head of the company. „Our advantage in being awarded the project was that we can offer everything on site and from a single source, as all the necessary trades are integrated into the Kiebitzberg® Group.“ This meant that repairs, steel and metal processing, filling work and conservation could be carried out by the Kiebitzberg® craftsmen. Interior insulation and interior fittings with heating and ventilation as well as doors and windows were also carried out by the company. After the final paint job, the wagon now shines in white and red, the colors of the Zeitfracht company.