Bangkok--28 Oct--Aziam Burson-Marsteller
FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), and Cologne Bonn Airport today inaugurated the new FedEx Central and Eastern Europe hub. Gerald P. Leary, president, FedEx Express Europe, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa, and Michael Garvens, chairman of the Management Board of Flughafen K?ln/Bonn GmbH, pushed the button to set the automated sorting system in motion.
Cologne Bonn Airport and FedEx, the world’s largest express transportation company, jointly invested ?140 million in the new hub, which commenced operations in June 2010 after relocating from Frankfurt/Main. FedEx staff count at the Cologne/Bonn site has grown rapidly from 35 to 450 employees. In this growth process, the company has created more than 150 new jobs.
The move to Cologne/Bonn enables FedEx to expand its operational capacity in Germany and across Europe, as well as pursuing its long-term ambition of increasing the company’s footprint in Eastern Europe. It also helps the company continue to offer its customers a seamless and reliable service. The Cologne hub is a vital facility in FedEx worldwide network, acting as a central gateway for packages arriving by ground or air from Central and Eastern Europe and providing fast connectivity within Europe, to the U.S. and Asia.
“The opening of the Cologne hub enhances North Rhine-Westphalia’s standing as a world class logistics facility. It offers companies in the region unparalleled growth opportunities as well as the creation of new jobs within the state,” said Harry K. Voigtsberger, minister for Economic Affairs, Energy, Construction, Housing, and Transport in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
“Today’s announcement couldn’t have come at a more exciting time. The Cologne hub will play a pivotal role in FedEx strategy of strengthening and expanding its market position in Europe,” said Leary of FedEx Express. “Our new hub is testament to FedEx belief in the economic potential of the German marketplace and its ability to catalyze growth in Central and Eastern Europe.”
“The FedEx move to Cologne is a hugely important stimulus for the Cologne/Bonn area as a location for businesses. The company, the region, and the state will benefit as a result. We want to hit the ground running together,” said Michael Garvens of Cologne Bonn Airport.The hub in Cologne is one of the most modern FedEx hubs worldwide. Its automated sorting system can process up to 18,000 packages and documents per hour. The roof features the largest FedEx Express solar power plant worldwide and represents one of the largest rooftop solar plants in North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of 16,000 square meters and produces about 800,000 kilowatt hours per year — enough energy to power roughly 230 three-person households for an entire year.
For further information, please contact:
Stacey Han, Senior Corporate Communications Specialist, FedEx Korea, Thailand and Indochina
Tel: + 82 2 738 4939; Email:
[email protected]
or Aziam Burson-Marsteller: James Best Tel: 02 252 9871 Email:
[email protected]