UPS has opened its expanded hub, air gateway and brokerage at East Midlands airport following the investment of £138 million to expand the new facility.
The hub is fitted with latest package sortation technology and supports more than 640 jobs in the region. It is particularly aimed at supporting smaller businesses in cross-border expansion, the company says.
“Our investment at East Midlands Airport shows our confidence that UK businesses of all sizes are poised to make the most of export opportunities now and in the future,” said Jim O’Gara, president, UPS UK Ireland & Nordics. “Our message to companies large and small in the region is that the world is at their fingertips, and we’re here to make doing business internationally as easy as doing business at home.’’
The facility features automated scanning and sortation systems that make operation more efficient and more sustainable by reducing UPS’s carbon footprint.
UPS’s expanded EMA air hub is 36,000 sq m in size and can now sort up to 22,500 packages per hour – more than twice the capacity of the previous facility. UPS says that regional small and medium-sized businesses that may otherwise think exporting is beyond their reach can benefit from the six daily flights that connect East Midlands Airport to key markets, including Germany and vital trans-Atlantic opportunities in the U.S.
