FedEx expands presence in North America and Europe
FedEx has been busily expanding its services and infrastructure in North America and Western Europe, including the opening of some major new processing sites. The company’s FedEx Ground division has opened a new $100m small package distribution hub in North Carolina.
FedEx Freight has opened a new facility in Butte, Montana.
FedEx Express has opened a new station in Strasbourg, France, and is also set to open a new facility in Northern Ireland next month, as Post&Parcel reported earlier this week.
And, FedEx Express has expanded its services in eight cities within Canada.
United States
Wednesday saw a grand opening for a new 410,000 square foot (38,000 sq metre) FedEx Ground facility in Kernersville, North Carolina, close to the city of Greensboro.
It is the 11th new hub opened since 2002 in the national expansion of FedEx Ground, and will build the company’s capabilities for the Southeast region of the US.
The new Greensboro hub features automatic handling technology that can move packages 540 feet per minute along almost 15 miles of conveyor belts, processing 15,000 items each hour. FedEx said future expansion could increase this to 45,000 items per hour.
The facility will require a work force of around 550 full time and part time employees as well as about 200 independent contractors.
John C Payne, senior vice president of linehaul, maintenance and safety for FedEx Ground, said: “The new facility will join existing hub facilities in Charlotte, Atlanta, Orlando and Nashville in serving the Southeast region and its expanding presence in the transportation and logistics businesses.”
Meanwhile in Montana, FedEx Freight has just opened a new 45,000 sq foot facility about 10 miles southwest of Butte, which is to provide a key gateway for the company to move freight between western Canada and the United States.
Canada
Across the border, FedEx Express has announced that effective immediately, its FedEx 1Day Freight service is being rolled out to customers in eight cities within the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
The service for palletised items between 68kg and 997kg in weight is now available in Brandon, Prince Albert, North Battleford, Yorkton, Moose Jaw, Lloydminster, Grande Prairie and Castelgar.
“The emerging growth and opportunities emanating from Canada’s heartland is being noticed the world over,” said FedEx Express Canada President, Lisa Lisson. “FedEx 1Day Freight is the latest example of FedEx Express Canada connecting Canadians and Canadian businesses across our country with efficient and reliable service.”
Europe
While FedEx executives have noted in recent briefings with analysts that the company’s biggest growth areas are in North America at the moment, the company is also building its network in Europe.
As well as a new service in Northern Ireland set for launch next month, FedEx Express has been expanding its operations in France, with a modest new facility added to the Strasbourg area.
The new facility has a 2,400 square metre capacity and will have around 20 staff and 15 vehicles serving local customers and those around the Alsace region with the promise of later pick-up times.
FedEx said the Strasbourg region had a strong industrial base along with political activity associated with the European Parliament, with about 35,600 companies based there.
The new station will be connected to the FedEx European hub at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and to its operations at Basel Airport.
Dirk van Impe, managing director for France Operations at FedEx Express, said: “Strasbourg is a dynamic, cosmopolitan city where both political and commercial spheres are truly European. We are excited about growing our presence and the benefits we can offer businesses here, such as later pick up times.
“For example, a company needing a next-day delivery by 3 p.m. to a city in the East Coast of the U.S. can tender their shipment as late as 5.30 p.m. the day before.”
