DHL Express is investing 93 million euros ($105.76 million) in a state-of-the-art facility in Madrid, a key nexus between Spain, Europe and Latin America.
With the opening of its hub at Barajas Adolfo Suarez Airport in Madrid, DHL Express quadruples the space of the previous sorting facility, adding high-quality infrastructure and the newest technologies. The larger hub will result in the creation of 200 additional jobs, DHL noted.
“With this latest investment in our infrastructure, we are further expanding the capabilities of our European and global network, enabling continued growth supported by a platform of quality,” said John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express. “Customers from our traditional sectors, as well as e-commerce customers in both private B2C… [and] businesses who are driving their own B2B growth agendas through e-commerce will benefit from the investment. With this new hub in Madrid, we are connecting sellers and consumers around the world with even greater speed and efficiency.”
The new 32,000-square-meter hub contains 176 loading docks for handling deliveries for 160 road freight movements each day, 10 daily flights operated by DHL aircraft and 30 daily commercial flights servicing 20 international destinations, mostly in Latin America. Equipped with the latest logistics technology, the new facility will be able to process 24,500 pieces of mail per hour, including packages and envelopes.
“We are investing in infrastructures to increase efficiency and to improve our delivery capability. This will allow us to provide an even better service to our customers,” said Miguel Borrás, managing director of DHL Express Spain and Portugal. “This new hub is a critical nexus between Europe and the LatAm countries. Thanks to this, we could connect businesses from all industries and private consumers alike, and enable them to leverage from the increasingly growing e-commerce worldwide.”
Following the DHL’s GoGreen Program, the new hub will help reduce the company’s carbon footprint with new and more efficient sorting technology, improved building insulation, and more efficient energy systems to manage the consumption of electricity, water and cooling systems.
DHL Express said the investment in the hub is part of its long-term commitment to growth to meet the dynamic needs of a growing global market. DHL Express has also been expanding its air fleet and announced in 2018 the purchase of 14 new Boeing 777 air freighters and five Airbus A330s for a total owned air fleet of more than 260 planes.