t’s a scenario familiar in manufacturing: Consolidate in the States, expand in Mexico. In this case, however, it’s a global logistics company making the moves.
On the heels of announcing a domestic pullout from its hubs in Wilmington, Ohio; Allentown, Pa.; and Riverside, Calif. (Jan. 30 was the final day for DHL domestic air and ground shipments in the U.S.), DHL Express in January announced that it would invest US$6.2 million to expand a logistics gateway and call center at Mexico City’s International Airport. The gateway facility – growing by 80 percent to 27,987 sq. ft. (2,600 sq. m.) on two levels – will increase shipping handling capacity by 300 percent, while the call center will double the company’s customer service capacity in Mexico, where DHL has operated for 30 years.
The investments are the latest in a string of current projects in Latin America and the Caribbean that includes another gateway in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and a $4.5-million investment in a new 83,000-sq.-ft. (7,711-sq.-m.) hub at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, Panama, Central America’s largest logistics hub, which has a capacity of 5,000 packages per hour. While DHL’s Panama operations employ 400 overall, the DHL Mexico City Gateway has 240 employees. The expanded call center, now nearly equaling the processing center’s dimensions at 26,157 sq. ft. (2,430 sq. m.), has doubled staff to 400 customer service agents.
DHL Express has said it intends to invest some $200 million in Latin America over the next two years. A company spokesperson was not able to break out how much of the $200 million is bound for Mexico, but the company has pledged to spend $112 million in Mexico over the next five years. The company maintains other Mexican hubs in Saltillo, Guadalajara, Mérida and Hermosillo.
DHL officials say its Mexico City gateway is the first smart gateway in Mexico and the only one with the ability to inspect 100 percent of all importing shipments using an advanced X-ray system. Optimized processes at the center will result in increased handling capacity of 100,000 shipments per month.
“These important investments enable us to respond quickly and effectively to the rising commercial activity in Mexico, not only domestically and with our U.S. neighbor but also with the rest of Latin America, Europe and Asia,” said Luis Eraña, general manager, DHL Express Mexico.
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