Friday, 10 July 2026
Garbe Industrial has secured rail vehicle manufacturer Alstom as the tenant for a new logistics property in Salzgitter, Germany. The company will use the facility to store and distribute spare parts and new components for locomotives and trains. Garbe Industrial invested a total of around 40 million euros in the new-build project, which was completed in the first quarter of this year.
“The decision to build our logistics property in Salzgitter with a view to future demand, without securing a lease commitment in advance, has proved to be exactly the right one. This was the only way we could meet Alstom’s short-term space requirements promptly,” says Luisa Elfendahl, Regional Head Central / Development at Garbe Industrial. “Going forward, it will be essential for project developers to build with future demand in mind and provide modern space for companies with short- and medium-term space requirements.”
The logistics property, with a total floor area of 31,200 square metres, has been fully leased to Alstom, which has already moved in. The new building has a warehouse area of approximately 27,700 square metres and a mezzanine area of around 1,900 square metres. In addition, there are approximately 1,600 square metres of offices and staff facilities. For the loading and unloading of trucks, the property is equipped with 29 loading bays and twelve ground-level sectional doors. An important feature for Alstom is that nine of these sectional doors at the rear of the building allow for side loading and unloading. This is particularly important for large-volume railway components. The doors are also protected from the elements by a canopy covering a total area of around 2,000 square metres. The outdoor area features six truck parking spaces and 112 car parking spaces. Some of these have been pre-fitted with electric charging points.
The new logistics facility was built on a 51,000-square-metre industrial brownfield site that Garbe Industrial had acquired from Alstom four years earlier. The site, formerly home to a munitions factory, required extensive remediation before construction could begin, including the clearance of unexploded ordnance and other contaminated materials. The foundations of former buildings were demolished, concrete slabs removed, and shafts and underground bunkers cleared away. The soil was then excavated and disposed of properly. The property company was able to draw on its many years of experience in dealing with areas formerly used for industrial purposes. Luisa Elfendahl: “By revitalising brownfield sites, we are enhancing their value in a sustainable way while creating attractive opportunities for businesses to establish operations through modern developments.”
In terms of transport links, the Salzgitter site stands out thanks to its favourable location south of the Hannover–Wolfsburg–Braunschweig urban triangle, with excellent connections to the motorway network. It is only a few kilometres to the A39 motorway, which connects Salzgitter to the north with Wolfsburg and the A2 Dortmund – Berlin motorway and to the south with the A7 Hamburg – Ulm motorway.
Garbe Industrial has developed the property in accordance with recognised ESG criteria. The building will be heated by district heating. The roof surfaces are pre-fitted for the installation of a photovoltaic system. Garbe Industrial is aiming for the new building to achieve Gold Standard certification from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB).
