SINGAPORE — DHL Express opened here yesterday its S$140-million South Asia Hub, a facility seen to further bolster regional trade in one of the fastest growing markets globally.
The Philippines, in particular, is expected to benefit significantly from the new South Asia Hub as it would boost operations in the country, DHL Express Philippines country manager Nurhayati Abdullah said.
“The DHL South Asia Hub manages some import and export shipments for the Philippines, approximately 440 tons of export shipments and 1,500 tons of import shipments. This new investment will continue to support our growth here in the Philippines,” Abdullah said in a mobile phone message to The STAR.
“DHL Express has recorded healthy shipment growth in the recent years, particularly in the southern part of the Asia Pacific. Between 2012 and 2015, the average daily shipments for Southeast Asia grew about 25 percent,” she added.
DHL South Asia Hub is located within the Changi Airfreight Centre at Singapore Changi Airport.
It is a 23,600-square meter facility equipped with the industry’s first fully automated express parcel sorting and processing system in South Asia.
The facility can process up to 24,000 shipments and documents per hour and can handle over 628 tons of cargo during peak processing window.
“Over the years, we’ve invested significantly to bolster our network and services in Asia Pacific. Our investment in the DHL South Asia Hub is the most recent in a series of global network investments made, and is the largest infrastructural investment made in Singapore to date. The country’s strategic location not only boosts our operational network capabilities, but also supports growing trade in the region aided by a stronger global economy,” DHL Express CEO Ken Allen said.