New 103,000-square-foot facility in Roanoke to help boost daily volume to meet higher customer demand
FedEx Ground broke ground this week on a new 103,000-square-foot distribution center to meet growing customer demand in the region.
The company’s $12.65 million investment is part of a nationwide expansion to boost daily package volume capacity and further enhance the speed and service capabilities of the FedEx Ground network. The new facility will be able to process 50,000 packages per day, up nearly 30,000 from its current regional facility in Salem. The facility will dispatch 80 trucks daily from the new location.
“Our new building will be larger than the existing station now serving the area, allowing us to continue to meet and exceed customer demand in the region,” said Rochelle Martin, FedEx Ground district managing director. “When the new facility opens in fall 2013, positions will transfer from the existing station, and we will add jobs as necessary to support increased demand for service in the area. We are looking forward to expanding in the Roanoke Valley.”
FedEx Ground employs 125 people in the Roanoke Valley. The company will transfer 75 jobs from its existing facility once the new FedEx Ground location is completed. The other 50 FedEx Home Delivery jobs will remain at the Salem location.
The new distribution center will be located at 3435 Chip Drive, in the Roanoke Centre for Industry and Technology on U.S. Route 460. It will be built on property once housing a manufacturer of ceramic chip capacitors. Demolition work on the site has been completed to enable construction to begin.
Since 2005, FedEx Ground has opened 11 new hubs featuring the most advanced material-handling systems and expanded or relocated more than 500 local facilities. Since 2003, FedEx Ground has improved the transit time in more than two-thirds of its lanes by at least one business day. FedEx Ground delivers more than 61 percent of packages in two days or less and more than 82 percent of packages in three days or less.
“The City of Roanoke is proud to host the expansion of FedEx Ground and we look forward to having this world-renowned brand expand its regional footprint in our city,” said Roanoke Mayor David Bowers. “I commend FedEx Ground for investing in the Roanoke Valley and am encouraged about expected increases in volume, which is an important indicator of economic growth.”
“Today’s groundbreaking ceremony is symbolic of not only positive economic development that creates jobs but also a commitment to the people who make Roanoke a great place to work and live,” added City Manager Chris Morrill.
“The Roanoke Region is within a day’s drive of two-thirds of the nation’s population and with easy access to Interstate 81, FedEx Ground clearly sees the benefits of a region that’s well-positioned geographically with high-quality workers to make this expansion possible,” said Ann Blair Miller, who worked on this project for the Roanoke Regional Partnership.
