Swiss-headquartered Panalpina Group, a leading provider of supply chain solutions in the world, has announced the opening of its 40,000-sq-m logistics and manufacturing facility at Dubai South.
 
The new facility, which is Panalpina's largest logistics and manufacturing facility globally, is Dubai South’s second built-to-suit product delivery.

A fully air-conditioned Grade A facility, the building has three partitioned sections, allowing for customer privacy, including a dust-free environment repair room, fully equipped with anti-static flooring, specialised lighting and temperature and humidity control.

The repair room will accommodate hi-tech mobile phone, tablet, laptop, games console, diagnostics and repair operations, while the logistics manufacturing services area has special lighting and electrical supply points to accommodate the specific operations.

The facility was opened in the presence of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the chairman and chief executive, Emirates Airline and Group, and chairman, Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Khalifa Al Zaffin, the executive chairman, Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai South.

Ahmed Al Ansari, the acting CEO, Dubai South, Stefan Karlen, CEO, Panalpina Group, Pascal Sieber, Panalpina country managing director UAE, Mike Wilson, the global head of Logistics and Manufacturing were also present.

Speaking at the launch, Sheikh Ahmed said: "The UAE is a global logistics hub providing modern infrastructure and an investment friendly environment, supported by a sound regulatory framework, making it the destination of choice for the industry."

"We are committed to accelerating our efforts to boost the logistics sector, making it one of the key drivers of growth for the economy," he noted.

Lauding the Swiss logistics firm, Al Zaffin said: "Panalpina will always hold a special place in the history of Dubai South. One of the early adopters to believe and invest in our vision, Panalpina was the first partner to break ground at Dubai South."

"Almost a decade later, the company has leveraged our excellent connectivity and world-class infrastructure, thus enhancing its ability to harness the region's growth potential," he noted.

“This new facility, not only represents our long-standing relationship with Panalpina, but highlights our commitment to providing integrated solutions for global logistics providers. At Dubai South, we are building the world’s first masterplanned aerotropolis, offering global industry leaders, such as Panalpina, a multimodal logistics platform that allows for seamless air-land-sea connectivity and world-class infrastructure,” he said.  

"Panalpina is taking advantage of its global network and footprint to expand its logistics offering for its customers here in Dubai; from last minute logistics manufacturing services to modular assemblies," he added.

Karlen said: "By embedding logistics manufacturing hubs close to our customers’ end-users, we are able to move products in from different regions and with the access to an unparalleled multimodal distribution network, we can then move these products out faster, and thus better serve both the current and future needs for all our customers."

"We will look forward to working with local universities, colleges and authorities such as Dubai South to assist us in attracting talented people to join our company," he added.-TradeArabia News Service