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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

DHL Express Invests $108 Million To Expand Its Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Hub in Covington, Kentucky

05/29/2015
DHL Express plans to invest $108 million to expand its hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Covington, Kentucky. The global logistics company also plans to create up to 50 new jobs in the region.

The expansion will allow DHL to grow its aircraft fleet and international express volumes. The company plans to add new aircraft gates, further automation, storage warehouse space. The DHL Express global hub sits at the heart of the DHL U.S. network, with flights connecting customers from more than 220 countries and territories worldwide to every corner of the United States. In addition to global hubs in Hong Kong and Germany, the CVG hub completes the backbone of the DHL intercontinental network.

“Our hub at the CVG airport is the backbone of our network for the Americas, since it is the central point for shipments in and out of this region where we expect to see continued growth,” said Stephen Fenwick, CEO of DHL Express Americas. “Our new investment this year is an endorsement of our commitment to the Cincinnati/northern Kentucky area and to our business partners who have worked alongside DHL to ensure our continued success.”

With more than 2,000 employees in northern Kentucky, DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL, headquartered in Bonn, Germany. The company established its principal U.S. air hub at CVG in 2009.

To encourage the investment and job growth in northern Kentucky, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority approved the company for tax incentives up to $1 million through Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act. KEIA allows approved companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing equipment.

The expansion is the latest in a series of investments DHL has made in northern Kentucky. Since 2009, DHL has invested $280 million in its CVG facility including a $47 million expansion in 2012 that included a new 193,000-square-foot large-sort facility and a $46 million investment last year to upgrade its small-sorting equipment, which helped create 130 new jobs.

“DHL Express continues to be a valuable resource in the Commonwealth, not only for our strong logistics network, but also for the northern Kentucky community,” said Governor Steve Beshear. “I’ve been proud to celebrate DHL’s growth during my time as Governor, and I look forward to seeing the company’s continued success in Kentucky for years to come.”

“DHL leads our region as the largest employer in the distribution/e-commerce industry,” said Kenton County Judge-Executive and Northern Kentucky Tri-ED Board Chair Kris Knochelmann. “Its super hub, one of only three in the world, is a high-tech operation that employs thousands of residents and ships millions of international packages into and out of CVG each night.”

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