DHL Express invests $18mn into facility expansion at DXB Terminal 2

International express services provider, DHL Express, unveiled its newly expanded $18mn state-of-the-art facility at Terminal 2 in DXB.

It will significantly increase the capacity of shipments managed every hour and strengthen DHL’s regional hub operations from Dubai.

The 13,100sqm facility, which is located in the Cargo Terminal at DXB, will have the capacity to manage up to 5,000 shipments per hour. That will double its current capacity of 2,500 and serve nearly 70,000 customers across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Ken Allen, member of the board of management Deutsche Post AG, Division EXPRESS, added: “The expansion of our facility at Terminal 2 in Dubai is the latest investment by DHL to support economic growth in the country and wider region by facilitating global trade to and from our growing hub in the UAE. We are confident that the new facility will be able to adequately meet increasing demand for faster shipment deliveries, especially with the boom in e-commerce in the region.”

Nour Suliman, CEO of DHL Express MENA, said: “We continue to see sustained growth in the Middle East region, which is why we are strengthening our regional hub in Dubai and successfully increasing capacity. The new state-of-the-art facility incorporates the very latest technology that ensures we can sort and ship over 120,000 shipments a day. DHL is continuing to set new standards for the logistics industry across the region and we will continue to work closely with our key partners and customs officials to ensure that our customers in the UAE receive the highest levels of service.”

Eugene Barry, executive vice president of Dubai Airports Commercial Group, said: “Dubai Airports’ partnership with DHL goes back many years, and we are delighted with their continued investment in people, infrastructure and systems. This confidence is testament to Dubai’s global position as a well-positioned aviation and logistics hub, and highlights the significance of Dubai International’s key role as a gateway to the Emirate and the region.”

The new facility will enable consolidated export, transit and import operations with a customs’ clearance and hold area that will feed inter-continental and region-wide air-and land-network distribution. An automated conveyor system with dual-view x-ray screening of parcels, image-capture technology and an automatic bar-code parcel sorting system will enable the delivery of more than 120,000 shipments a day.

DHL currently has more than 200 service centres and service points across 19 countries in the region and employs over 5,100 employees across the Middle East. Between 2015 and 2019, DHL Express will have invested nearly $200mn into the MENA region, as well as having updated 12 of its major facilities.