FedEx plans new Ohio hub
FedEx Corp said its FedEx Ground unit will build a new hub on a 127-acre site in Perrysburg Township, Ohio, to replace an existing Toledo operation.
The hub is part of a multibillion-dollar network expansion plan to nearly double average daily hub package volume capacity in North America.
Total cost for the project is estimated to be $87 million, including land, construction and material-handling equipment.
The 400,000 square-foot facility will open in 2009, and feature the latest automated material handling technology designed to initially process 22,500 packages per hour, and 45,000 packages per hour when it eventually reaches full capacity after a projected expansion. The current workforce of nearly 550 employees and independent contractors is projected to eventually increase to more than 800.
“Enhancing our distribution capability in the Midwest is an important step in our ongoing efforts to increase the size, speed and efficiency of our network,” said Michael P. Mannion, senior vice president of Operations for FedEx Ground. “This new facility will help us meet the growing demand of local shippers and serve as one of just two gateways for shipments destined to Canada.”
Part of the project will be creating a parking lot on a 44-acre parcel of land in Rossford that is adjacent to the interchange of the Ohio Turnpike (exit 64) and Interstate 75. Fe Ex said the site will be used to reconfigure trucks pulling three trailers at a time. FedEx explained that while the Ohio Turnpike allows triples — three trailers pulled by a tractor — on its roads, they are not permitted to travel on other highways and roads in the state of Ohio.
Drivers of FedEx Ground triples will use this staging area to unhook one of the trailers before driving to the hub about one mile away.
FedEx said the Perrysburg site was chosen because of its ease of access to major highways, its proximity to customers’ distribution centers and a strong local labor supply.