UPS 'supersizes' Kentucky package hub

UPS has completed the expansion of its Louisville, Ky., package operations, more than tripling the size of its ground sortation and distribution hub, the Atlanta-based company said this week.

The project is part of a multi-year plan to modernize and expand the logistics company's global network. The Louisville Centennial operation now covers more than 1 million square feet and has nearly doubled its package sorting capacity, the company said. The expansion adds support for UPS' express service packages routed to nearby Louisville Muhammed Ali International Airport, as well. The "supersized" hub can insert packages into UPS's air operations as late a 1: 30 a.m. for same-day delivery across the country, UPS officials said.

"Tripling the size of our Centennial hub provides companies with distribution centers and operations in Kentucky and the surrounding areas with more opportunities to better serve their customers," Joe Boyle, president of UPS's Ohio Valley District, said in a statement announcing the project's completion.

The massive operation incorporates high-tech automation and material handling equipment. Covering more than 19 football fields, the expanded facility can process about 85,000 packages per hour via 25 miles of conveyors. High-speed label applicators can place "smart labels" on packages at a rate of 3 per second, increasing accuracy and speeding the routing of packages for both local and nationwide delivery.

The $310 million expansion project created 300 full- and part-time jobs, the company also said.