Nippon Express USA, Inc. announced plans to relocate its air cargo division from its branch office in Grove City, Ohio to Rickenbacker International Airport. Nippon Express expects to begin operating out of its new airside location as early as May 1, 2006.

'We have experienced continued growth and must expand our operations in order to keep in step with the marketplace and industry,' said Kunihiko Shimizu, General Manager of the Columbus Branch for Nippon Express. 'Our new location at Rickenbacker offers us the opportunity to better serve our customers from a prime location with direct air cargo ramp access.'

Nippon Express has leased 12,000 square feet in Air Cargo Terminal No. 3, an airside building owned by the Franklin Community Improvement Corporation (FCIC). The FCIC's most significant project to date is Rickenbacker's Air Cargo Terminal Complex, a three-building air cargo complex totaling 167,000 square feet. This complex consists of two landside cargo facilities and one airside cargo facility, which are home to numerous freight forwarding and logistics companies that do business at the airport.

Nippon Express will handle all of its local air cargo operations out of its new warehouse and office space at Rickenbacker. This facility will be staffed with six employees, five of whom will transfer from their current Grove City location. The company will continue to handle its local warehousing and logistics, household goods and ocean cargo departments from its Grove City office.

'The Airport Authority is excited to welcome Nippon Express to this prime airport facility,' said David Whitaker, Vice President of Business Development & Communications for the Columbus Regional Airport Authority. 'Nippon is an excellent addition to the large network of air cargo related companies already located at Rickenbacker.'