DHL expands in the Midwest
New facility near Minneapolis doubles size of regional sort center operation, provides for future growth
Plantation, Florida, 07/10/2007, 11:30 AM CESTDHL announced the opening of a new regional sort center facility in Bloomington, Minn. DHL has invested $7.8 million in the facility, which serves DHL's air and ground network within the Midwest region.
The new facility relocates DHL from a 35,000 sq-ft facility in Blaine, Minn. to one more than double its size to meet DHL's current and future needs. The new 79,049-sq.-ft. regional sort center provides 1-day ground service for letters and parcels across Minnesota and into parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, and North and South Dakota. The regional sort center is also strategically located closer to the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport for connection to the DHL air network, and is fully interconnected to DHL's nationwide regional ground sort center network.
Key customer benefits include a new high-speed singulator for optimum package visibility through the enhanced scanning system's track-and-trace features. With the transition to the new sort system, package throughput will more than double for processing more packages per hour at the new facility.
"DHL is continually looking for ways to improve and augment service for customers through strategic investments in our U.S. operations," said John Cameron, executive vice president of Operations, for DHL. "The new regional sort center positions the company well for future growth within its Midwest footprint."
The new Minneapolis regional sort center investment is one of many initiatives that DHL has undertaken to improve U.S. network efficiencies and connectivity system-wide. DHL has recently enhanced its presence in cities across the country through new facilities in New York City, Chicago, Illinois; Charlotte, North Carolina; Salt Lake City, Utah; Charleston, South Carolina; White River Junction, Vermont; Atlanta, Georgia, and Columbus, Ohio. DHL also recently completed a $1.2 billion build out of its U.S. domestic network and infrastructure, including an expanded primary air and ground hub in Wilmington, Ohio, seven new Regional Sort Centers located throughout the country, and the development of new, state-of-the-art distribution facilities for the east and west coasts in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Riverside, California.
