dnata, the global air and travel services provider, will invest more than $223.22 million in a fully automated cargo center at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS).
dnata Cargo City Amsterdam will significantly enhance cargo capacity in The Netherlands and create new, direct jobs with dnata.
It will enable dnata and its customers to substantially expand operations and business, stimulating local economy and trade.
Located at Schiphol South-East, the 61,000 m² facilities will include an increased, 19,000 m² warehouse space, and be capable of processing over 850,000 tonnes of cargo annually.
It is likely to ensure all types of cargo, including perishables, pharmaceuticals, dangerous goods, mail, live animals, aircraft engines and vehicles.
The facility is scheduled to become operational in 2024.
dnata Cargo City Amsterdam will be developed by Schiphol Commercial Real Estate and equipped by Lödige Industries with cutting-edge technologies.
The project is Schiphol Real Estate’s largest ever commercial property development at AMS.
Furthermore, the project will earn BREEAM excellent certification for the sustainability and eco-friendly design of the facility.
dnata currently provides passenger, ground handling and cargo services to 29 airlines at AMS.
David Barker, dnata’s Divisional Senior Vice President for Airport Operations, said: “Our new cargo facility will enable us to meet the rapidly growing demand for our efficient and reliable services”.
“We thank Schiphol Airport’s teams for their support and are looking forward to continuing our successful partnership to strengthen Amsterdam’s position as a leading cargo hub in the continent”, he added.
dnata Cargo City Amsterdam will be equipped with two separate automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), using the latest technology from Lödige, for import and export with twelve stacker cranes.
A total of up to 2,500 pallets will be stored here. In addition, separate storage for ULDs will be serviced by four elevating transport vehicles (ETV).
dnata will also make use of seven intelligent automated guided vehicles (AGV) to enable flexible and scalable ULD transport within the terminal.
These AGVs, which represent a recent product innovation of Lödige Industries, will be applied here for the first time on a large scale.
Another special feature will be the implementation of smart gates, which automatically record the volume and weight of all incoming consignments by scanning them in 3D. The process significantly speeds up handling and improves the quality of service.
All elements will be integrated into a comprehensive high-performance warehouse management system to enable dnata to further grow its operations and service at Schiphol.