Supply chain company Panalpina is constructing a new warehousing facility in Singapore, its largest such investment outside of Europe, as the logistics firm moves to reinforce its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Construction is currently underway, with the facility to be launched in early 2018, the company said in an emailed statement. The 30,000-square-meter facility is being built at Pioneer View, next to Jurong Bird Park in West Singapore, where the city-state is developing a new deep-water port to keep up with ocean freight growth.
“Singapore is a very important consolidation hub for ocean and air freight. We plan to offer our services in this area including value-added logistics services to new customers particularly in the healthcare, technology, manufacturing, consumer and retail as well as fashion industries,” said Matthew Gallagher, country head of sales, Singapore. “And, of course, we will continue to service existing customers including global telecom equipment manufacturers, sporting goods retailers and medical equipment companies.”
Panalpina decided to own rather than lease the new building because land in Singapore is scarce and property prices and rents are extremely high. And to maximize the land it occupies, it said the building will be one of only three in Singapore to have yard and container storage on the rooftop, with the ability to store containers up to two levels high.
Mark Fitzpatrick, country head of logistics in Singapore, noted that there are more advantages to owning and managing a facility: “Not being tied to a lease agreement opens up many opportunities that are not always available in leased premises. This freedom allows us to offer the best possible solutions for our customers.”
Each of the building’s six floors and the rooftop will be serviced by dedicated loading bays and cargo lifts. Upon completion, the facility will also be air-conditioning ready, meaning the ducts will already have been built into the structure of the building, allowing for multiple temperature settings on all floors.
“We will run this facility as a multi-user site with a variety of customers, each with different needs, on each floor. Having air conditioning ready when needed will save cost and time when we take a new customer on board,” explained Fitzpatrick.
Sustainability is another key feature of the new facility, which has been designed to meet the highest standards as measured by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and Greenmark Platinum.
Together with Panalpina’s other facilities at Changi Airport, the Asia-Pacific LCL hub, as well as the multi-user facilities in Changi North and Jurong, the company’s warehousing footprint in Singapore will soon increase to 100,000 square meters.
