UPS has opened its new £138m (US$190m) expanded air hub at East Midlands Airport in the UK.
Thanks to the installation of the latest automated scanning and sortation systems, the 36,000m² facility can now sort up to 22,500 packages per hour – more than twice the capacity of the previous facility. East Midlands Airport is also served in part by liquefied natural gas UPS vehicles that connect the facility to customers throughout the UK and refuel at the nearby ground hub in Tamworth.
Jim O’Gara, president, UPS UK Ireland & Nordics, said, “Our investment at East Midlands Airport shows our confidence that UK businesses of all sizes are poised to make the most of export opportunities now and in the future. Our message to companies large and small in the region is that the world is at their fingertips, and we’re here to make doing business internationally as easy as doing business at home.’’
The investment strengthens the connection between the Midlands and UPS’s global smart logistics network, enabling regional small and medium-size businesses to benefit from the six daily flights that connect to key markets, including Germany and vital trans-Atlantic opportunities in the USA.
UPS’s operation at East Midlands Airport has created more than 640 job opportunities for the region.