The German logistics company Hödlmayr, in cooperation with Stellantis, is currently using part of DronePort’s site in Brustem (Sint-Truiden, Limburg) to store a large number of new cars in ‘overstock’ produced by Stellantis.” Now, Hödlmayr has applied for a permit.
What began as a temporary stopgap solution for car manufacturer Stellantis at the end of 2024 is now officially underway. About 4,000 new cars were stored there at that time because Stellantis was struggling with overproduction.
Stellantis presumably has more new cars than immediate demand or dealership capacity, so they need interim storage until they can be shipped or sold. Droneport, as a vehicle logistics firm, is ‘temporarily’ offering the logistics capacity. Critics, however, see a risk that the temporary becomes permanent.
‘Not a core task of DronePort’
Mayor Ludwig Vandenhove (Vooruit) was unhappy with this turn of events. “Storing thousands of cars is not a core task of Droneport, nor of shareholder LRM,” he said.
The DronePort site was initially intended for drone, aviation, aerospace, and innovation use. Using it for large-scale car storage is arguably outside its core purpose, which is raising concerns among local stakeholders about zoning, identity, and long-term vision, so a permit is necessary.
Some local political figures oppose the use of long-term storage and argue that DronePort’s credibility as an innovation hub for drones could be undermined.
Vandenhove, therefore, informed Droneport that the company responsible for the storage had to apply for a permit, and that has now been done.
Complaints from residents
The permit application, submitted by Hödlmayr Logistics, covers a period of approximately five years. However, according to Droneport, this does not necessarily mean that they will actually store vehicles for Stellantis for the full five years.
The mayor of Sint-Truiden doesn’t want this activity to continue anyway. “We already regularly receive complaints from residents about noise pollution. That’s why we’ve also restricted activity until 6 p.m., but this naturally results in more activity during the day.” It is not yet clear when a decision will be made about the permit.
Hödlmayr International is a European vehicle logistics and mobility logistics company, operational in 16 countries. It runs one of the larger European networks in finished-vehicle logistics.
The group claims to have 1.3 million square meters of storage capacity for approximately 55,000 vehicles across its European footprint. The Belgian subsidiary, Hödlmayr Logistics Belgium NV, is situated in Tongeren.
