Shipping giant Maersk has opened a 130,000-square-foot facility in Los Angeles. The import/export gateway offers direct planeside recovery with immediate unit load device (ULD) transfers.
The new facility will bolster Maersk’s growing network on the US West Coast.
Situated near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), facility operations will include customs brokerage, commercial sales, and LCL (Less than container load) transload.
The company’s regional head of airfreight, John Wetherell, says the new air hub positions the growth business. “LA is a self-managed air facility that has tripled our access to capacity on the U.S. West Coast. Our customers will benefit from higher service levels and greater warehouse capacity,” he says.
The new Los Angeles hub is not the only project the business is working on regarding capacity expansion. Maersk announced a warehouse facility at SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway. This UK facility will speed up cargo flows for the business.
Maersk meets airfreight demand
The opening of the facility forms part of Maersk’s capacity expansion program. This facility will allow more supply chain integration opportunities to take place and assist with cargo volume spikes. LAX is one of the busiest airports in the world and is a gateway for the Asia-Pacific and US.
Maersk’s new initiative is a US Customs bonded facility. It is scheduled to achieve Free Trade Zone status in 2024 to benefit from lower duties and reduced processing fees. The status will allow for the faster movement of cargo.
Maersk Air Cargo
The business has its in-house air cargo carrier, Maersk Air Cargo, with its own operations personnel and maintenance control center. The cargo carrier was founded in 1987 to provide reliable cargo capacity to customers. Offering air freight to customers allows customers to meet the demands of ever-changing markets.
In October 2022, Maersk Air Cargo launched airfreight services between the US and Korea with two weekly flights. In June of the same year, Maersk acquired Senator International, a global freight forwarding company. The acquisition of Senator International will allow customers to slow down or speed up cargo movement depending on supply chain needs.
Airfreight saves customers time
Imagine you own a business that supplies products to stores globally. Airfreight is a way to get your products to these stores fastest. Often, airfreight can depart an airport and arrive at a destination airport the same day or the next day, depending on location. Airfreight is the fastest option, whereas sea freight takes several weeks before it arrives at a destination.
If you supply products that are needed urgently, then airfreight is your best bet. Perishable goods, for example, are shipped via air freight so that these goods are still fresh on arrival at a store for customers to purchase.
About the author
Sharl is a qualified journalist. He has over 10 years’ experience in the media industry, including positions as an editor of a magazine and Business Editor of a daily newspaper. Sharl also has experience in logistics specifically operations, where he worked with global food aid organisations distributing food into Africa. Sharl enjoys writing business stories and human interest pieces.
