Shout it from the rooftop

A brand new build-to-suit facility in Singapore demonstrates Panalpina’s continued commitment to a strong and successful logistics platform in Asia-Pacific. “As we celebrate 40 years of doing business in Singapore, this is Panalpina’s largest ever warehousing investment outside Europe in the company’s history,” says Matthew Gallagher, country head of sales, Singapore. The building features a unique yard and container storage on the rooftop, state-of-the-art automation and air conditioning on all floors.

The investment will help Panalpina to expand its Logistics business in Asia-Pacific by offering customers an ultra-efficient and tailored solution for their specific logistics needs. Construction is currently under way, and the facility will be ready for customers in early 2018. The new 30,000 m² facility is being built at Pioneer View, next to Jurong Bird Park in West Singapore, where the city-state is developing a new deep-water port to keep up with ocean freight growth.

“Singapore is a very important consolidation hub for ocean and air freight. We plan to offer our services in this area including value-added logistics services to new customers particularly in the healthcare, technology, manufacturing, consumer and retail as well as fashion industries. And, of course, we will continue to service existing customers including global telecom equipment manufacturers, sporting goods retailers and medical equipment companies,” says Matthew.

Singapore, as one of the world’s top logistics hubs, is notable for its world-class port infrastructure, efficient customs and excellent connectivity. But with a total land area measuring half the size of Los Angeles and a population of more than five million, land is scarce, making property prices and rents extremely high. For this reason, Panalpina has taken ownership of the new building, rather than leasing it. And to take full advantage of the land it occupies, it will be one of only three buildings in Singapore to have yard and container storage on the rooftop, with the ability to store containers up to two levels high.

As Mark Fitzpatrick, country head of Logistics in Singapore, notes, there are more advantages to owning and managing a facility: “Not being tied to a lease agreement opens up many opportunities that are not always available in leased premises. This freedom allows us to offer the best possible solutions for our customers.”

Each of the building’s six floors and the rooftop will be serviced by dedicated loading bays and cargo lifts. Upon completion, the facility will also be air-conditioning ready, meaning the ducts will already have been built into the structure of the building, allowing for multiple temperature settings on all floors. “We will run this facility as a multi-user site with a variety of customers, each with different needs, on each floor. Having air conditioning ready when needed, will save cost and time when we take a new customer on board,” explains Mark. Sustainability is another key feature of the new facility, which has been designed to meet the highest standards as measured by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and Greenmark Platinum.

“We are very excited about this new facility. The collective features of the building, including the special rooftop, are unusual to have, and since 96 out of our top 100 customers globally have a base in Singapore, it makes perfect sense to extend our capabilities here,” adds Matthew. Together with Panalpina’s other facilities at Changi Airport, the Asia-Pacific LCL hub, as well as the multi-user facilities in Changi North and Jurong, the company’s warehousing footprint in Singapore will soon increase to 100,000 m².