Express transportation company FedEx Express (FedEx) recently opened a new facility at Perth Airport, to accommodate its growing global network.
The new premises, which is more than twice the size of the previous space, is now closer to the cargo terminal and highway entry points, improving FedEx’s ability to retrieve and distribute freight.
Also, the company is investing in advanced logistics at the facility, including an automated cargo sorting system to meet the fast-growing demand for express cargo. The new facility has the capacity to sort up to 3,000 packages per hour, allowing inbound and outbound shipments to be processed faster. The new processing, combined with improved functions to load and unload shipping containers and state-of-the-art parcel processing systems, will significantly boost efficiencies.
“FedEx is making strategic investments in the physical infrastructure and technology that will support e-commerce and SME businesses in Australia, as well as our B2B customer base,” explains Kim Garner, managing director, FedEx Express Australasia.
The growth of e-commerce has seen a rise in the purchase of international goods among Australian businesses and consumers, including in the Perth area. Australian retail e-commerce sales are tipped to reach $14 billion by 2018, a 46 per cent increase from 2015. At this point, e-commerce retail sales are forecasted to account for 5.6 per cent of all Australian retail sales.
“In Perth alone, our road fleet has doubled over the past decade. Our enhanced facility in Perth is in direct response to Australia’s e-commerce boom and by improving efficiencies, we will connect more West Australians to international markets.”