Swiss freight forwarding and logistics company Panalpina has opened a new, purpose-built logistics centre in Singapore, where most of its top global customers have a base.
Strategically located at Pioneer View in West Singapore, the new facility is constructed over six floors and offers 25,800sqm of usable warehouse space, which is equivalent to 3.5 FIFA-standard football pitches.
Speaking at the official opening of the facility, Panalpina CEO 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 also stressed 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 noted.
The majority of the space of the multi-purpose facility is already rented out to customers, and Karlen was keen to underline the importance of technology to the Singapore facility, as well as to the company as a whole.
Panalpina said it planned 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”, Panalpina said.
