Plantation, FL - DHL, the world’s leading international express services provider, has opened a new facility in Charleston, S.C., nearly three times the size of its former one and designed to handle a projected seven-year growth in demand for the company’s services.

The new, 16,200-square-foot service center facility provides pickup and delivery services for international shipments and is located in a business park close to Charleston International Airport. This will shorten delivery times to and from the airport, a benefit customers will enjoy in terms of earlier arrival of their shipments.

“International shipping is growing and will continue to do so, fueled in large part by the explosion in international e-commerce among businesses of all sizes,” said Chet Paul, General Manager of the Southeast for DHL Express U.S. “DHL is the leading-edge provider of international logistics services, with some of the most forward-thinking technology in the industry as well as proactive growth planning, which is what we’ve demonstrated in Charleston.”

In recent years, South Carolina has attracted some of the largest U.S. automotive manufacturing hubs. It is also experiencing increasing employment across a diversified portfolio of growth sectors that results in more reliance on global trade.

The new DHL service center facility has a sorting capacity of 2,000 pieces an hour. It serves the greater Charleston and Myrtle Beach areas and is located at 7246 Stall Road, North Charleston, SC 29406. It offers a drop-off counter for customers that’s fully staffed. It represents a $2.2 million capital investment on the part of DHL.