DHL starts work on new Chicago service centre

DHL has announced it has broken ground on a new, modernized service centre operation near O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, IL. DHL will invest USD 7 million in the new 78,960-sq.-ft facility, which will serve DHL’s local pickup, delivery and sorting operations. The new DHL Chicago service centre is expected to be operational by early 2007.

This is the second recent major facility investment by DHL to enhance operations in the Chicago area. In September 2005, DHL opened a new 70,000-sq.-ft facility on West Cermak Road serving the Chicago loop area and providing pickup and delivery services for DHL’s largest customers in the financial, legal, and banking industries. The new airport area facility will feature new, state-of-the-art conveyors and sorting systems to process a higher volume of customer shipments more quickly throughout the Chicagoland.
“The Chicago area has always been an important market for DHL, with a high density of customers ranging from major national accounts to small businesses,” said Carl Rodriguez, senior area vice president of operations for DHL. “This new facility will ensure that customers shipping to and from the Chicago area continue to receive the highest level of service from DHL, and also positions DHL for future customer growth in the area.”

The new facility, located closer to the main artery off of Mannheim Road to improve DHL customer access, will handle a wide variety of shipments – including domestic and international parcels as well as palletized, loose-load and container freight. The facility will also provide a throughput capacity of 7,500 packages per hour and will employ nearly 250 personnel when fully operational.