Site Selection January 2012 : Page 57

come back to haunt companies. Going forward, what I would tell people in this country would be to look at historically transportation-friendly places, and these places would be unlikely to stand out. They would be places like St. Louis, Detroit and Chicago. Maybe you would call them Rust Belt cities, but they have developed before World War II. I would be much less likely to look at places that have developed after World War II. Any place that is totally dependent on oil will have a tough time going forward.” Taylor says regions that have devel-oped based on cheap energy will have problems. Rob Wheeler, a vice president with CresaPartners who specializes in logis-tics projects, says the volatility and rising cost of fuel is a hot topic in logistics. He says companies have plans to be more regional in their approach. “Supply chain folks are consider-ing that on an everyday basis — what’s happening with energy and how it will affect their business,” Wheeler says. “More and more companies are looking at intermodal transportation to mitigate some of these risks. Intermodal parks are popping up across the country. A Exel is building a cross-border logistics center in Laredo, Texas. shift to rail is an overarching trend. There is an obvious shifting to rail, and real estate around rail will get a premium. The key from a site selec-tion perspective is understanding that transportation is eight to 10 times more expensive than rent. People are becom-ing more and more focused on that.” Cross-Border Logistics North American logistics special-ist Exel and DHL Supply Chain are building a 250,000-sq.-ft. (23,225-sq.-m.) build-to-suit distribution center in Laredo, Texas. Slated for completion in July 2012, the facility will serve as a hub for the company’s Logistics Without Borders, an end-to-end supply chain service that provides both companies’ customers services necessary to ship across the U.S./Mexico border. The operation will create 100 jobs initially and will be a multi-client, multi-sector operation that supports Exel’s and DHL’s customers’ supply chains on both sides of the border. The companies anticipate serving customers from sec-tors including technology, automotive, engineering and manufacturing. Facility features will include comprehensive logistics services and certifi cations such as Transported Asset Protection As-sociation (TAPA-A) and Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT). Facility plans and construction will incorporate sustainability features including energy-effi cient lighting, landscaping and building materials, as well as low-fl ow plumbing and a recy-cling program. The company plans to Write in #23 for free info. SITE SELECTION JANUARY 2012 57 Image courtesy of Exel

The Coca-Cola Company
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