Estonian postal operator Omniva has committed to investing €40m (US$41.7m) in a parcel sorting center in the Kaunas Free Economic Zone in Lithuania.
The center and the office spaces cover a 21,000m2 area and form the group’s largest investment to date. The center will handle Lithuanian domestic and international shipments, and its construction and the installation of the sorting line is expected to be completed in 2024.
Approximately €10m (US$10.4m) of the total amount will be invested in the Equinox Europa parcel sorting line, which can automatically sort 15,000 shipments per hour. The sorting line will also serve international Omniva shipments to the Baltic states from Western Europe, China and other countries.
Heiki Raadik, a member of Omniva’s board, said, “Considering the future prospects of e-commerce and the related parcel logistics, we believe that this investment is very timely. Firstly, the new sorting line will help optimize and enhance business processes, further improving the quality of our services and making them more available to our customers.
“Secondly, the new center will strengthen Omniva’s position as the preferred logistics partner throughout the Baltics as well as improve the working conditions of our employees and preserve natural resources. Although certain turbulence can be detected in the current economy, we are certain that the investment is timely, as it allows us to focus on our long-term plans in the domestic markets to be as close to our customers as possible.”