AD Ports Group, the region’s leading facilitator of global trade, logistics, and industry, announced the launch of KLP21, its new advanced warehousing and logistics hub in Abu Dhabi. The new facility will be operational later in the third quarter of this year, the company said.

KLP21 is situated in Kizad, the group’s integrated trade, logistics and industrial zone located between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It leverages UAE’s strategic position as a gateway to Asia, Africa and the Mena region representing a combined marketplace of over 4.5 billion consumers.

KLP21 is strategically located next to the upcoming Regional Food Hub along the main E311 cargo corridor, ensuring direct connectivity to all major markets.

“The development of KLP21 builds upon our fully integrated offering under AD Ports Group’s Economic Cities & Free Zones portfolio that brings together the entire scope of services required for industrial businesses to thrive in today’s competitive market. The project responds to increasing customer demand for temperature-controlled storage solutions in the emirate to support the safe and efficient distribution of climate-sensitive goods in the UAE and across the wider region,” said Abdullah Al Hameli, Chief Executive Officer, Economic Cities & Free Zones Cluster, AD Ports Group.

“Kizad is committed to driving the sustainable growth of Abu Dhabi’s trade and manufacturing landscape in line with the Abu Dhabi Industrial Strategy and continue to widen our offerings to support the priority industrial sectors identified by our wise leadership such as the life sciences and food sectors,” he added.

Comprising four warehouses with over 80,000 sq m of capacity, KLP21 will be one of the largest and the most advanced temperature-controlled logistics hubs in the region. Combined, the warehouses will be able to accommodate over 100,000 pallets across a network of chambers which can be independently configured to a range of sizes and temperatures, including -26-degC to 25-degC.

The facility is tailor-made to support critical regional industries requiring cold and ambient storage, including healthcare, food and beverage, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), and specialty chemicals sectors.  Among the benefits for potential customers, the facility will offer a full suite of third-party logistics (3PL) and fourth-party logistics (4PL) services, regional logistics hub operations and value-added services including re-packing, specialty packing, labelling and others.

“This milestone facility significantly increases AD Ports Logistics’ current cold and ambient temperature storage capacity and provides international and domestic companies with outstanding opportunities to enter or expand their presence within a region that is primed for sustained growth,” said Robert Sutton, Chief Executive Officer – Logistics Cluster, AD Ports Group.

“By offering our customers the opportunity to leverage AD Ports Group’s broad portfolio of trade and logistics services, the project furthers our journey of becoming a major business facilitator and partner of choice within these vital global industry sectors. Most importantly, the addition is especially timely when we see global supply chains shifting towards more robust near-shore and on-shore sourcing of strategic goods and supplies, which KLP 21 is in an excellent position to provide,” he added.

Developed by Kizad, the facility will have two of its four warehouses, spanning 40,000 sq m operated by AD Ports Logistics.