DHL Global Forwarding plans to invest $10mn in a new logistics facility in Villa Nueva, Guatemala, local media reported last week.

The German company selected the site in the capital's periphery owing to its strategic position for international trade and the nation's industrial growth, executives told newspaper Prensa Libre.

The warehousing and distribution facility could reach full operational capacity in four to five months and marks DHL's largest investment in the Central American country in over 10 years, the executives said.

The centre will strengthen DHL's footprint in Guatemala, where it already runs two facilities in zones 12 and 17 of Guatemala City, and bolster the country's role as a regional logistics hub, local manager José Monge said.

'The decision responds to the growth potential they see in the country and the need to offer specialised logistics solutions in the face of the saturation of spaces in the central metropolitan area,' Monge said.

The industrial park offers direct links to the CA-9 highway towards the Atlantic coast and Honduras, the CA-1 route towards Mexico and El Salvador, and secondary roads connecting southern municipalities, according to the report.

This provides access to Puerto Quetzal and Santo Tomás de Castilla, two critical ports for foreign trade, the report noted.

The 8,500-square-metre facility will accommodate 11,000 pallet positions and feature 14 loading docks alongside automated security systems.

It will also meet international temperature control standards to serve life sciences, pharmaceutical and nutritional sectors.

'This facility will allow service to customers who require processes with controlled temperatures not exceeding 30 degrees,' Monge said.

The project will create 40 direct jobs and between 70 and 80 indirect positions, providing a boost to the local economy.

DHL Global Forwarding specialises in international freight transport, offering air, sea and land services whilst acting primarily as a broker between clients and carriers rather than operating its own fleet.

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