Global express delivery and logistics services provider DHL Express said this week it plans to invest $5.3 million to relocate and expand its Nashville, Tenn.-based service center. Company officials said that this effort is being driven by anticipated e-commerce growth, coupled with very strong logistics and distribution sector activity in Tennessee.
The new DHL Express Nashville service center is in close proximity to the Nashville International Airport and is roughly 18,000 square-feet larger than the company’s previous location, with 42,195 square-feet in total space. And DHL said this facility is able to accommodate a double line conveyor belt system, enabling its more than 50 staffers to be more efficient, with a 100% increase in sorting capacity compared to its previous facility.
“The larger space has not only allowed us to keep up with the current demand due to the rise in online shopping, but it accommodates 10 years of growth capacity,” said Richard Saavedra, VP and General Manager of DHL Express, Southeast U.S., in a statement. “Nashville continues to be an attractive market for importers and exporters because of its central location in the U.S., which provides easy access to global markets and growing trade opportunities.”
A DHL spokesman said that this move was made because the company had outgrown its previous facility.
“The new, larger space now accommodates 10 years of projected growth capacity,” he said. “The new facility with state-of-the-art material handling equipment and a larger space for shipment handling improves our processing capabilities, leading to earlier local deliveries.”