DHL Express indicated that by the end of the year, for the busiest season, it will have expanded by 30,000 square meters (m2) and increased its capacity to 41,000 packages per hour at one of its most important operational centers, its domestic air hub at Querétaro International Airport (AIQ), which will become the largest in the company in Mexico.
Antonio Arranz, CEO of DHL Express Mexico, presented 80% progress on the expansion of the hub at AIQ, highlighting that they had a good season during Hot Sale, but for El Buen Fin and the end of the year season, this complex will be operational.
“When you make a $120 million investment, you wonder if you made the right decision. It turns out that we had a very good Hot Sale, and the hub will be arriving just in time for El Buen Fin, and we expect to have it operational by the end of the year,” the executive said in his speech.
The German company stated that this represents a decisive step in the company’s strategy to strengthen its presence in the region, support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and significantly improve delivery times and operational capacity, thus meeting the needs of companies looking to bring their productive operations closer to key markets within the growing demand for nearshoring.
It is worth noting that a year ago, the company announced a $120 million investment in expansion and automation, in partnership with its strategic ally TL Kapital, a division of Grupo Terminal Logistics dedicated to real estate development. This week, they presented 80% progress on their expansion, where not only did they increase their operational capacity, but they also focused their efforts on including and improving technology in the complex.
“Today, we are witnessing the realization of the work we announced a year ago. We are proud to present the progress of our Air Operations Center here in the Bajío, our heart of domestic operation towards the entire Mexican Republic. With 80% progress, this complex not only positions itself as the largest in the company in Mexico but also the most technologically advanced in all of Latin America,” commented Antonio Arranz.
In this regard, the complex will incorporate 100% automated technology in its machining processes, allowing for simplification, reliability, and speed in the package release process, with technological systems designed to more efficiently handle thousands of flyer-type shipments and packages weighing up to 30 kilograms with uniform structure.
DHL ensured that the update in automated technology will be one of the drivers with which the company expects to generate significant increases in productivity and operational efficiency at AIQ, with an estimated presence for the next 20 years.
Likewise, with the expansion of logistical capacity, new air and land routes are being considered to expedite local deliveries from the Bajío-Central area to the south and north of the country.
The geographical location of this HUB has allowed the company to timely supply deliveries to the northern states of the country, where more than 50% of the national shipments are directed, through its connection with land routes to 23 major cities (Service Area or IATA) and over 40 Sub-IATAs.
Currently, from DHL Express HUB in AIQ, 12 domestic flights depart daily (arrival and departure), connecting the state to Mérida, Cancun, Monterrey, Ciudad Juarez, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, Torreon, Hermosillo, Chihuahua, Villahermosa, Culiacan, and Tijuana; totaling 33 interconnected cities (Sub-IATAs). Additionally, an international flight is operated daily from Querétaro to DHL’s HUB in Cincinnati, United States.
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