UPS has added nearly 220,000 square feet to its European logistics operations in Germany and the Netherlands, driven by growing demand from retail and high-tech customers.
The additions will give UPS 4.6 million square feet in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, with 1.5 million square feet of that space being dedicated to healthcare clients. The acquisition of Polish healthcare logistics provider Poltraf will add additional capacity to the network when the transaction closes in the first half of 2015.
UPS, which recently announced 1.2 million square feet in additions to four North American locations (two locations in Kentucky, California and Toronto, Canada), has 596 supply chain facilities worldwide totaling more than 33 million square feet.
“We continue to expand our contract logistics reach and capabilities in Europe to serve the growing demands of our B2B and B2C customers,” said Harld Peters, vice president of UPS Contract Logistics Europe, in a prepared statement. “These facility investments are testaments to our continued commitment to supply our customers in Europe with solutions that allow their businesses to be more competitive.”
The new European locations include Krefeld, Germany (53,000 square feet), Butzbach, Germany, outside Frankfurt (75,000 square feet) and Venlo, Netherlands (91,000 square feet).
The company also recently added logistics facilities in Chengdu, Shanghai and Beijing, China, and expanded a facility in Thailand. Last year it added three Latin America healthcare-dedicated facilities to address high-growth medical device and pharmaceutical markets near Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Santiago.
UPS provides warehousing and order fulfillment; inventory, transportation and returns management; custom kitting and packaging; store-ready displays; critical parts repair; and same-day delivery at its logistics facilities.