DHL Express invests $78 million to nearly double its MIA hub
DHL Express announced today that it has invested more than $78 million to renovate and expand its hub facility at Miami International Airport. The improvements further strengthen the company’s connections and service capabilities, with added flights to and from Europe, Asia Pacific, South America – including Chile, Mexico, and cities in the U.S.
The investment, which is part of a larger $360 million plan for the region to increase volume capacity in the DHL Express Americas network by nearly 30% by the end of 2022, includes a state-of-the-art equipment for a fully automated package sort system. The new automation increased the facility’s sorting capacity per hour by almost double. With nearly double the warehouse space – now 206,000 sq. ft. - and twice the load positions for conveyable packages, the space fully accommodates the increased volumes ahead of the peak season. DHL’s growth has created new job opportunities as well. By the end of the year, employment at the MIA hub will increase 70% year-over-year (YoY) to 731 employees.
Our Miami hub has always been a key gateway into South and Central America and the Caribbean, and with the new investments and flights, it’s fantastic to see us even more connected to the rest of the world. This is all part of our continual drive to expand and improve our infrastructure, modernize and grow our air fleets and establish new routes. The overall results are improved flexibility, reliability and service for our customers’ ever-growing international shipping needs.
As the holiday season approaches, the investments come at an opportune time and on the heels of significant volume growth, specifically from international B2C and B2B e-commerce. DHL Express expects continued double digit shipment growth (YoY), throughout the Americas region during the upcoming peak holiday season. Looking at the last two years and trends driven by the pandemic with the surge in online consumer purchasing, the Americas region countries experienced an average B2C shipment growth of 44% in 2020 (YoY), and 21% in 2021 year to date through September.
Congratulations to DHL Express on completing this major expansion of its hub at MIA, the gateway to the Americas. Its growth has helped to put our airport on track for its best year ever in cargo shipments and is bringing an infusion of hundreds of new jobs into our local economy.
With a focus on safety and security, DHL also installed two state-of-the-art Automated Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) Machines (RTT™) at the MIA hub, which provides high-quality 3D CT images and enables advanced automated explosives detection in a high-speed in-line system at the first level of screening.
A key philosophy for DHL Express is to engineer safety into our facilities, and the expansion was designed to not only provide an environment where our employees can operate safely, but also where they can thrive.
DHL Express now operates an average of 193 weekly flights (arrivals and departures) at the Miami hub, through a combination of B737F, B757F, B767F, B777F, and A330F aircraft. MIA continues to offer DHL Express the benefits it needs to meet the growing demands of its international shipping customers, including in-house Customs brokers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel working on site to facilitate faster shipment clearance.
We are proud to be home to one of the largest hubs in DHL Express’s global network, and the primary base for their Latin America and Caribbean operations. Now that it has doubled its warehouse capacity at MIA, we look forward to seeing DHL Express have an even stronger presence in Miami-Dade County.
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