Exchange Ends 57-Year History at Warehouse

After 57 years, Germany’s Giessen Distribution Center was recently vacated after the new Germersheim Distribution Center opened February.

Giessen’s history as a distribution center dates to July 1960, when the European Exchange System, which ran post exchanges in that part of the world, made it the primary supply point for PXs throughout the continent. Within just a few years, 1,200 associates would ship 9,000 tons of goods a month to PXs throughout Europe. 

Eventually, the DC included 19 buildings and more than 1 million square feet. The facility was responsible for  Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990-91, the Balkans in the mid-1990s and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In the mid-1980s, recieved a major face-lift, thanks to a $183 million modernization of all AAFES warehouses. Giessen became the first Exchange DC to receive a modern warehouse management system.

Beginning in the mid-2000s, Army leaders in Europe decided to save millions of dollars by creating a centralized logistics depot. They asked the Exchange to consolidate its transportation with other federal agencies at Germersheim, about 114 miles away.

In February 2017, Exchange managers from the Dallas HQ and Europe celebrated the grand opening of the Germersheim Distribution Center and boxed up Giessen’s memories for the Exchange history archives.