Centre Point Logistics (CPL), a leading UAE-based provider of logistics, warehousing, and storage facilities, is set to strengthen its regional and global market foothold further with the upcoming groundbreaking of its new hitech warehouse in Dubai.

The new 22,550-sq-m facility is set to open in October at the Logistics District in Dubai South.

The CPL move reflects the company’s ongoing initiative to widen its reach and capitalise on the many opportunities in the rapidly growing logistics activities in Dubai and the rest of the UAE, considered the gateway to the world’s most progressive markets such as Africa, India, and China.

According to CPL, the new ambient temperature-controlled warehousing space will offer a wide range of integrated logistics support services, from warehousing, transportation, technical and skilled labor to equipment and other operations management.

It will be used for storage, distribution and other value-added services, it stated.

With current total logistics investments of over Dh100 million ($27.2 million) and warehouse and distribution space of over 3 million sq ft, CPL’s turnover is expected to increase to around Dh50 million ($13.6 million) per year upon the opening of its new facility, it added.

On the new project, Saleh Abdullah Lootah, the CPL chairman, said: "Through our new warehouse facility, CPL in partnership with Dubai South will significantly widen its geographical reach to provide high-quality services to a larger customer base across the world."

"Our expansion complements Dubai’s tremendous economic development over the years, enabling us to support the emirate’s growth while taking advantage of new opportunities in both local and international markets," he stated.

The UAE is witnessing phenomenal growth in international cargo alongside the expansion of the entire Middle East, where the regional demand is expected to increase by 4.9 per cent by 2016, according to an industry report released by Transport Intelligence.

"Today, Dubai is considered a significant player in international trading and transport logistics and this will mean more profitable prospects for leading industry players," stated Lootah.

Ahmad Al Ansari, the deputy chief operating officer at Dubai South, said: "CPL’s significant investment into its new facility will further enhance the organisation’s operational efficiency and increase its market share and revenues in the long-term."

"The strategic move comes at an opportune time in that it addresses a growing need for solid logistics infrastructure to support the advancing the global logistics sector. Dubai South’s Logistics District presents the ideal platform to facilitate CPL’s regional growth strategy and we look forward to a mutually rewarding partnership," he added.

According to Transport Intelligence, the Middle East’s freight forwarding sector is poised for a 7.8 per cent annual expansion until 2017.
 
The domestic logistics market in the UAE is presently valued at Dh92 billion ($25 billion), it added.-TradeArabia News Service