The new 83,000 sq ft hub increases capacity by 250% from the previous facility, permitting sorting of 5,000 packages per hour. The $4.5 million hub permits increased aircraft departure times by 10%. Among other innovations are a cold room for packages requiring temperature control, a material handling system and a re-packaging area.
“DHL has been working to strengthen its aviation network and offer better global connectivity to our customers,” says Neil Ferguson, senior vice president, DHL Aviation Americas. “Hubs are built to reduce transit time and distance between regions and also to ensure that regions, in this case Central America, have access to international trade faster and more efficiently.”
Heightened security measures have been undertaken at the Tocumen site. In addition to secure, private areas for storage of high value shipments, there are special ramps enabling packages to be unloaded directly from planes and security cameras that monitor events in real time through the Internet.
At the opening of the hub, Roger Crook, CEO of DHL Express, International Americas, said, “It is key for DHL to continuously invest in strengthening our global network. Simply put, transporting our customer’s goods to any corner of the world in record time is what we stand for. Today’s hub opening underscores our priority to exceed our customers’ expectations by improving our response time and shipment handling, while also representing the strong commitment we have to this fast-growing region.”
