DHL expands Tucson facility to handle e-commerce volume

Transportation and logistics provider DHL said Tuesday it has moved its service center facility in Tucson, Ariz., to a new location nearly twice the size to handle the increased volume of international e-commerce.

Plantation, Fla.-based DHL Express Americas said its Tucson operations are also seeing increased volumes as the result of cross-border trade with Mexico, including shipments from "maquiladoras," which are manufacturing plants that assemble products in Mexico and then export them to the U.S.

DHL invested $2.8 million in its new location, which features 23,462 square feet of warehouse and office space, allowing for an expanded capacity of 23 routes and featuring a conveyor sort system that can handle thousands of packages an hour, the firm said.

The new facility also cuts the driving time to Tucson International Airport, where DHL operates an aircraft ramp facility, from 20 minutes to three minutes, resulting in earlier deliveries for local customers, according to DHL. Finally, the company says its service center is certified to meet the security requirements set by the cargo crime prevention group International Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA).

In other recent expansions of its U.S. capabilities, DHL in March launched a last-mile delivery service called "Parcel Metro," began construction of a technology innovation center outside Chicago, and expanded facilities in California and Florida.