Construction has begun on Panalpina’s new logistics centre in Dubai Logistics City (DLC), part of Dubai World Central (DWC), the 140 sq km multi-phase self-sustained development being built at Jebel Ali in Dubai.

A ground breaking ceremony was held in the presence of René Wernli, Panalpina area managing director along with Michael Proffitt, DLC CEO.

The new facility, for which Panalpina has leased land on a long-term basis, is in Dubai Logistics City (DLC). The construction being carried out by Roshan Construction and is expected to take one year to complete. It will be Dubai World Central’s first tenant building.

DWC also includes a cluster of specialised zones such as Dubai World Central International Airport (JXB), which – when completed – will be the world’s largest airport with a capacity equal to that of Chicago O’Hare and London Heathrow combined.

DWC will be a new city where eventually some 900,000 people will live and work. DLC represents phase 1 of Dubai World Central and will be a truly integrated multi-modal logistics platform in a single customs bonded and free zone environment, adjacent to the Jebel Ali Free Zone and Port.

“We have access to a dedicated road leading to the cargo terminal and to the airport tarmac, which gives us great advantage for our air freight operations,” said Wernli. The facility also boasts of capabilities to serve the burgeoning ocean traffic and will be connected via road to the Jebel Ali seaport.

The Panalpina facility will house a state-of-the-art warehouse of 10,000 sqm and an office of 2,600 sqm, while 15,000 sqm of land is earmarked for future expansion. The warehouse is designed for mixed use – catering to cross-dock / transit operations, inbound and outbound cargo movement, temperature controlled storage in connection with international transport, and capability to provide the whole range of value-added services.

“DLC’s unique value proposition will begin to bear fruit through Panalpina’s operations in 2008. As the first tenant, Panalpina will witness first-hand the efficiency of the DLC multi-modal approach,” said Proffitt after the ground breaking ceremony.

With this facility, Panalpina will also be able to cater to all major markets in the GCC within 24 hours via road. The facility will be built to meet the top security specifications of Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) and Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) and the stringent health, safety and environmental policies of Panalpina.  –TradeArabia News Service