Singapore—Jan. 9, 2013—Menlo Worldwide Logistics, the US$1.6 billion global logistics subsidiary of Con-way Inc., will cut the ribbon today on its new state-of-the-art warehousing and retail distribution management center located at 11 Sunview Way, Singapore 627540.
“The opening of the Sunview Way facility is a milestone for Menlo,” said Robert L. Bianco Jr., President of Menlo Worldwide Logistics, San Francisco, who will headline Menlo’s dedication ceremony here today. “It’s yet another demonstration of Menlo’s commitment to the Singapore market and our continued investment for growth in the region. This facility is recognized as a model for sustainable building and business practices and will enable us to provide superior warehousing and logistics services for our customers.”
The new 37,000-square-meter Sunview center increases the company’s footprint in Singapore to seven facilities totaling 195,000 square meters and spotlights Menlo’s commitment to tangibly “green” operations. Representing an investment of $50 million by Menlo and its development partner, Second Development Pte Ltd., the new distribution center features advanced building design and construction materials emphasizing environmental sustainability and high levels of energy and water-use efficiency—from the use of recycled concrete aggregates; to sustainably sourced office carpet and ceiling board; to high-efficiency air-conditioning and Philips T5 fluorescent lighting.
These efforts prompted the Singapore Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to confer upon the Sunview facility the BCA’s Green Mark Gold Plus certification. The facility is one of the first to be so designated under the program, which encourages the use of recognized best practices in environmental design and construction and advanced “green” building performance.
“The state-of-the-art Sunview Way facility reinforces Singapore’s commitment to developing a trusted and reliable supply chain infrastructure, and doing so in both a business-friendly and environmentally conscious manner,” said Kelvin Wong, Executive Director, Logistics, Singapore Economic Development Board. “We are pleased to support Menlo in this expansion, which complements our goal of positioning Singapore as a future-ready logistic hub with world-class service providers.”
Established in Singapore since 1999, Menlo is a global provider of logistics, transportation management and supply chain services with operations on five continents. Its services range from dedicated contract logistics to warehousing; distribution and transportation management; and supply chain engineering.
“Our customers expect world-class service, and this new facility, coupled with our commitment to sustainable business practices and Lean continuous improvement, delivers on that promise,” said Bianco. “When Canon or Philips — two of the dozens of multi-national manufacturing companies we count as clients — want to assemble and stage retail products for worldwide distribution, we can do that here at Sunview, and we can do it better and faster, in a more sustainable environment.”
Bianco added that Singapore’s standing as a facilitator of free and open trade is a primary reason why the third-party logistics industry has seen fit to congregate here. With the support of Singapore Customs and programs like its Secure Trade Partnership, efficient and effective regulations which provide a secure environment for trade has been a major incentive for why Menlo has invested so ardently in its newly expanded footprint here.
Menlo’s existing network of seven facilities is located throughout Singapore with 380 employees and provides dedicated and multi-client distribution and inventory management services. The company provides over 100 Singapore businesses and multi-national companies with logistics services for sectors such as automotive, high-tech, consumer goods, industrial, aerospace and wine and spirits distribution.
The Sunview facility will serve as Menlo’s most advanced warehouse for storage and distribution, high-velocity picking and packing operations, customized labeling and return management services. More than 100 employees will support its multi-disciplined operations.