DHL’s Freight division opened its 38,000-square-meter warehouse in Manisa, Turkey, in response to a growing demand for logistics services near the nearby port city of Izmir.
Uwe Brinks, CEO of DHL Freight, said the company’s investment, which is in the “high single-digits” in millions of euros “in order to meet our customers’ growing needs and take advantage of Turkey’s essential geographic location for logistics routes,” which likely refers to trans-Eurasian and African-European trade.
Turkey is a prominent exporter of agricultural products, textiles, motor vehicles, transportation equipment and home appliances. DHL said merchants in the Manisa region export to more than 100 countries worldwide, touting an overall export value of nearly €3.5 billion last year.
IATA’s most recent report showed the Middle East comprises 13.7 percent of the world share of air cargo traffic volume. Today, Turkish Cargo, a major regional carrier, reported a 30 percent growth rate in volume between January and May of this year, compared to the world market growth of 4.3 percent during the same period. If the carrier’s recent figures are an indicator of the region’s economic potential, then the Middle East should be on the radars of logistics players.
“Manisa hosts Turkey’s first logistics park and is home to some of the country’s leading production and import/export companies,” said Hasan Kavci, managing director of DHL Freight Turkey.
DHL Freight currently operates a network of more than 200 terminals in 32 countries.