DHL install new automated sorting system at Chubu Gateway, Japan

System accommodates rising cargo volumes, especially between Japan and China
DHL, today installed an automated sorting system for parcels at the Chubu Gateway at Central Japan International Airport, a dedicated facility providing DHL customers with bonded warehousing and customs clearance processing at one convenient location. This installation is part of DHL’s commitment to invest an additional 11 billion yen (USD 90 million) in Japan over the next few years, and comes on the heels of the inauguration of the expanded DHL Kansai International Airport Gateway in June this year.

The processing capacity of the new automated sorting system at the Chubu Gateway is 7,500 pieces per hour, expanding capacity to approximately three times the volume possible with standard manual sorting. The automated sorting system accommodates the growing volume of cargo handled in the Chubu area, especially for trade between Japan and China, and promotes the effective utilization of the Gateway – complementary to DHL’s other Japan Gateways at the Narita International Airport and Kansai International Airport – through the enhancement of shipment processing speed and service quality.

With the opening of the Central Japan International Airport in 2005, DHL has made substantial investments in the Chubu area. The Chubu Gateway was opened in March 2006, joining the six service centers established in the Tokai and Hokuriku regions since 2005. In October 2006, Air Hong Kong – DHL’s joint venture with Cathay Pacific – began operating a five-time-weekly dedicated service connecting the Central Japan International Airport to DHL’s Central Asia Hub in Hong Kong, expanding transport capability and fortifying next-day delivery services between the two regions. Based on this strengthening of both ground and air networks, a greater number of locations in the Tokai and Hokuriku regions now enjoy same-day pick-up and same-day delivery services, reducing transport times by as much as one day.

Certified Class-A by the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA), the Chubu Gateway has an advanced security system using CCTV cameras, and a Quality Control Center (QCC) that also serves as a crisis management nerve center. Operating around the clock, seven days a week, DHL QCCs comprise a network of regional- and country-level quality control centers that constantly and proactively monitor every DHL shipment in the air and on the ground.

Guenter Zorn, Representative Director/President of DHL Japan, said, “The installation of an automated sorting system in the DHL Chubu Gateway reflects DHL’s confidence in and commitment to Japan. In the Chubu area, global logistics needs are extremely high, centering on transport and electronic machinery products. Thanks to the introduction of the latest equipment at our Chubu Gateway, we can continue to provide greater convenience to customers by reducing their products’ time-to-market. We are delighted to contribute to Chubu’s ever-increasing trade flows by moving imports and exports efficiently to and from the region.”

“Since the establishment last year of the Gateway, DHL Japan’s import and export cargo volume and weight have steadily increased, and DHL is playing a part in the growth of international air cargo at the airport,” said Yoshimi Inaba, President and CEO of Central Japan International Airport Co., Ltd. “The increase in processing capability brought about by the installation of the automated sorting system provides a dramatic enhancement to customer convenience, and I am confident that it will contribute significantly to increasing the international cargo handling volume at Central Japan International Airport.”

Said Kenji Takanashi, Managing Director/Chief Division Officer of the Global Strategic Integration Division of Toyota Tsusho Corporation: “Toyota Tsusho is more frequently taking advantage of airfreight services out of Central Japan International Airport due to the growing volume of trade in the Chubu area centering on exports of hardware and automobile-related goods. From a user’s perspective, we welcome DHL’s decision to enhance its cargo processing capabilities by introducing an automated sorting system. We anticipate that DHL will continue to expand its services in the years to come in cooperation with Central Japan International Airport.”

DHL is committed to Japan, and has been continuously expanding its network infrastructure to enhance its leadership position in the Japanese market. Besides the almost 11 billion yen (USD 90 million) in investment planned in the coming years – a decision announced in February during celebrations to mark the company’s 35th anniversary in Japan – DHL invested 20 billion yen (USD165 million) in Japan between 1999 and 2006 to reinforce both ground and air networks. DHL maintains 130 locations in Japan, including almost 60 Express Centers and Service Centers – the largest network in the air express industry. In June, DHL expanded its facility at Kansai International Airport which became the first of DHL’s Japanese facilities to introduce an automated sorting system. The 10,100-sqm DHL Kansai International Airport Gateway, located adjacent to the runway at the International Cargo Warehouse C, is the largest facility operated by an international express company at the airport.

DHL will continue to offer its best-in-class express and logistics portfolio to the important Japanese market by providing in Japan and Asia Pacific a broad selection of products and services customers have come to expect of the market leader.

TAPA is a non-profit organization set up by representatives from the manufacturing and high-tech industries, freight forwarders and professional consulting companies. The association aims to guarantee high security standards in the freight transportation of high-value technology products, to minimize monetary or asset losses incurred during the shipment process.