Kuehne + Nagel begin construction at DLC

Kuehne + Nagel has begun construction of its new state-of-the-art facility in Dubai Logistics City (DLC), set to become the world’s largest supply chain community within Dubai World Central (DWC), the huge city-within-a-city taking shape at Jebel Ali in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The facility, for which Kuehne + Nagel has leased 52,000 square meters of land on a long-term basis, paves the way for the development of the company’s Dubai base into the principal Kuehne + Nagel distribution hub for the Middle East.

An official cornerstone laying ceremony was held in the presence of key executives from Kuehne + Nagel corporate, regional and national
management along with Michael Proffitt, DLC CEO.

Werner Kleymann, Regional Manager of Kuehne + Nagel Middle East said, “Kuehne + Nagel is aligning its activities to meet the dynamic Middle East logistics market requirements. At the heart of this development will be our new integrated facility in DLC, which will provide us with the perfect conditions to push and leverage our growth targets. Ultimately, our objective is to become one of the region’s top five contract logistics providers.”

The new facility will become operational mid next year upon completion of the first phase of construction, featuring 17,000 square meters of
warehouse space with the option to expand to a total of 30,000 square meters. The new facility will complement the company’s existing 16,000 square meter logistics terminal in the Jebel Ali Free Zone.

Phase one of the new facility will be equipped with temperature controlled VNA (very narrow aisle) racking and conventional ambient racking. Total capacity will exceed 20,000 pallet locations, with over 5,000 square meters of handling area for value added services like kitting and final assembly activities.

The building will offer a modern shared logistics environment for 2 of 2 customers across different industries. Special security requirements as well as dedicated storage and handling equipment for customers from the high tech and pharmaceutical industries are also implemented in phase one.

“DLC’s unique value proposition will begin to bear fruit through Kuehne + Nagel’s operations in 2008. Kuehne + Nagel will witness first-hand the efficiency of the DLC multi-modal approach,” commented Proffitt after the official cornerstone laying ceremony.

Representatives from Kuehne + Nagel also handed over Award Certificates and a token of appreciation to Michael Proffitt (DLC) and Usama Saleh (DWC) for their highly effective cooperation toward the ongoing project.< Korea Shipping Gazette >