DHL Celebrates New $35 Million Chicago Facility with Ribbon Cutting

DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist within Deutsche Post DHL, held a ribbon cutting ceremony today in celebration of the completion of its new $35 million facility in Chicago, Illinois.

The three-story building has 491,000 square-feet of office and warehouse space, making it the largest free standing DHL Global Forwarding building in its worldwide network. It is strategically located in the Chicago O’Hare International Airport’s cargo zone and is DHL Global Forwarding’s largest air export gateway.

“This new DHL Global Forwarding building is a testament to Chicago’s burgeoning growth, and can offer local businesses of all sizes a gateway to trade expansion within the U.S. and abroad,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “The City of Chicago is proud to partner with businesses like DHL that want to invest in our community by adding new jobs, promoting commerce and further positioning the city as a leading cargo hub.”

The building took one year to build and will house 500 employees. It is a bonded Container Freight Station (CFS), a location designated by carriers to receive cargo to be loaded into containers.

A portion of the building has been designated a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ), a secure area under the supervision of U.S. Customs and Border Protection considered outside the Customs territory of the U.S. for the purpose of duty-payment. The facility is Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) validated, TSA Certified Cargo Screening Facilities (TSA CCSF) certified, and is expected to be Transported Asset Protection Association Americas (TAPA-A) certified in Q2 2015, meeting security handling guidelines and practices to make it a leader in the fight against cargo theft.

“This inauguration represents an important moment in DHL’s history because it is the culmination of a meticulously planned facility that will further solidify our market leadership position in the logistics industry, and will offer all the necessary features and services to help our customers grow,” said Christoph Remund, CEO for DHL Global Forwarding, U.S.

The building contains two temperature controlled chambers (+15° to +25°C and +2° to +8°C) that together measure close to 10,000 square-feet and a 999 square-foot ambient receiving area, built with variable temperature capabilities to process any pharmaceutical, biotech or medical devices that require a temperature-controlled environment and two dedicated truck docks. The new facility in Chicago is also established as a Certified Life Sciences Station to support DHL’s THERMONET solution for temperature controlled air freight transportation. It is one of eight Certified Life Sciences Stations in the U.S. completed thus far, with specific storage capabilities dedicated for life science and healthcare goods. THERMONET provides enhanced monitoring and visibility for life science and healthcare products using solutions such as the “Life Track” IT platform and in-transit temperature data and monitoring.

“We are honored to have partnered with DHL Global Forwarding and the City of Chicago to deliver DHL’s new home in Chicago.  With this facility’s state-of-the-art attributes, green initiatives and expansion capability, we have addressed DHL Global Forwarding’s real estate and operating needs for decades to come,” stated Erin Gruver, executive vice president for Aeroterm. “Developing DHL’s largest warehouse under the accelerated construction schedule is a true testament to the hard work and commitment of each organization’s dedicated team.”

The building is currently in the process of obtaining Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, a third-party verification for green buildings. It was designed with many environmentally friendly interior features, including: energy-efficient lighting fixtures, high efficiency water fixtures, and construction using low emitting indoor air contaminants. The exterior has several sustainable features, such as landscaping with native, drought-tolerant plants, bicycle storage, preferred parking for carpool/vanpool vehicles and for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles, among others.