FedEx Ground continued to roll out its nationwide network expansion last month when the carrier opened a new 156,000-square-foot automated distribution center in McCook, Ill., that will serve the Chicago marketplace. The new facility is one of nine new DCs planned to be completed by 2010.

The nationwide expansion will boost the company's current average daily pickup capacity by nearly 70 percent over the next five years. This year, FedEx Ground has opened new hubs in the metro areas of Cincinnati, Dallas and Hagerstown, Md. A fourth new hub, under construction near Memphis, will begin operations in 2006.

"The opening of the McCook facility is part of our ongoing efforts to enhance service and meet customer demand by increasing the size, speed and reliability of our network," says Paul Callahan, division vice president, FedEx Ground. "This new, larger automated facility will benefit shippers with faster and more efficient movement of their packages through the FedEx Ground network, as well as more complete package tracking information."