DHL announces plans to expand facility near Columbus, Ohio

DHL plans to spend $4 million to expand near Rickenbacker Airport, a move that will create 150 jobs.

The express delivery and logistics company said the investment will be made over five years at its DHL Columbus Commerce Park on Spiegel Drive, north of Rickenbacker.

The facility has 120 employees, a mixture of DHL workers and employees contracted through a company that is a partner of DHL. The additional hires primarily will be contract employees, DHL spokesman Robert Mintz said.

DHL will expand its 320,000-square-foot warehouse at Rickenbacker by more than 20 percent. DHL uses the facility to provide logistics services, such as warehousing, inventory management, packaging and transportation management.

“The primary reason for this expansion is growth in our third-party operations,” said John Robinson, director of logistics operations.

“It allows us to expand for our current clients and accommodate new clients.”

Robinson said DHL provides warehousing and logistics services for 15 companies in the Rickenbacker area, including optical and eyeglass makers, electronic-repair companies and a generic-drug distributor.

A top customer is Optical Village, a complex where competing optical companies assemble, store and ship products.

In addition, DHL provides packaging and freight shipment for seven companies that handle their own warehousing near Rickenbacker.

Mintz said more companies are locating in the Rickenbacker area and are in need of logistics services. DHL also wants to grow that part of its business.

DHL, which recently acquired Airborne, also provides express-delivery services and operates an air and ground hub at the airport in Wilmington.

“With the acquisition of Airborne, that has allowed us to tap into additional companies and more markets,” Robinson said.

Mintz said DHL often ships products from Columbus by ground to Wilmington, for air or ground delivery.

DHL said the Columbus project is part of a plan to expand its infrastructure in the U.S., which includes investing $1.2 billion.