DHL Express begins construction of €67m Tokyo Gateway facility
DHL Express has broken ground on a new EUR 67m gateway facility at Shinkiba, in the Koto area of Toyko, Japan. The new 15,000 square metre custom-built facility will be the company’s fourth gateway in Japan and the largest DHL gateway in the world.
The company said it was expecting the project to be completed in the first quarter of 2016 to boost capacity and service standards in the face of growing demand.
Once complete, it should have the capability to sort 12,000 shipments per hour, and is expected to handle one of the highest volumes of any DHL gateway across the globe.
The new facility is in the same “strategic” area as the existing DHL Tokyo Distribution Centre, with good links to Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport as well as Toyko’s business districts.
DHL said it would replace and extend the operations at the current Distribution Centre, which is predicted to reach the limit of its capacity in the coming years. The new facility will double the current floor area of the existing Distribution Centre.
The new facility will boast customs clearance and bonded warehouse capabilities, along with a service centre providing pick-up and delivery services for customers.
Recovery
Jerry Hsu, the chief executive at DHL Express Asia Pacific, said the investment in Japan came as the country was on the “cusp of an economic revival”.
“In tandem with the country’s remarkable economic recovery, this investment will provide DHL sufficient capacity to accommodate current and future growth,” he said.
“DHL is well-positioned to continue helping customers capitalize on industry expansion, as well as to facilitate Japan’s position as a global economic powerhouse and integral trading partner to the rest of the world.”
DHL said it has seen steady growth in the international express market in Japan, despite the kind of economic conditions in the country that have resulted in volatility in the air freight market.
Taketo Yamakawa, the Representative Director and President for DHL Japan, said the new Tokyo Gateway facility was a strategic part of the companies investment strategy for the whole Asia Pacific region.
“This ground breaking marks a cornerstone in DHL’s strategy to cement our leadership and reinforces our strong commitment in Japan,” he said.
“Investing in automation technologies for the new facility is but one step in our on-going journey to provide even greater speed and reliability for new and existing customers.”
