Swiss freight forwarding heavyweight Panalpina has opened a new purpose-built logistics centre in Singapore.
The facility it said it strategically located at Pioneer View, and is spread over six floors and offers 25,800 square metres of usable warehouse space, which is equivalent to 3.5 FIFA-standard football pitches.
Speaking at the official opening of the facility, Panalpina chief executive officer, Stefan Karlen said: “Singapore is a very important consolidation hub for ocean and air freight.
“The nation-state is investing in the expansion of its ports, and a fifth runway is under construction at Changi Airport.”
Karlen said that 96 of Panalpina’s top 100 global customers have a base in Singapore. “Against this backdrop, Panalpina plans to offer Air and Ocean Freight services including value-added logistics services to companies, particularly in the energy, healthcare, high tech, manufacturing, consumer and retail, as well as fashion industries,” he added.
The majority of the space of the multi-purpose facility is already rented out to customers, and Karlen also underlinded the importance of technologies to the Singapore facility, as well as to the company as a whole.
Panalpina plans to test and use many new technologies in Singapore, including the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality, and various automation systems.
The new facility could also run 3D printers on behalf of customers, meaning it could one day become a hub for distributed manufacturing.
Karlen, who himself was once based in Singapore, met and chatted with Panalpina’s front-line staff, as well as with attending dignitaries, including Fabrice Filliez, the Swiss ambassador to Singapore.
The cost of the new facility was not revealed by Panalpina.
