Maersk launches fully automated Singapore hub for e-commerce surge

It will also handle bulk deliveries for everyday goods, retail items, wellness products and electronics. Read more at straitstimes.com.

SINGAPORE - Even amid geopolitical tensions and shifting trade dynamics, global consumer demand for everyday goods has not wavered, with folks still buying clothes and replacing broken appliances, said the chief executive of the world’s largest shipping line.

“Despite the noise out there, people are still sending their children off to school with a new backpack. And when the new Formula 1 season begins, many will find a good excuse to upgrade their TVs,” said Mr Vincent Clerc, chief executive officer (CEO) of AP Moller Maersk.

Mr Clerc was speaking at the opening of a fully automated global and regional distribution centre the size of around 20 football fields by Maersk in Singapore on March 18.

As online shopping becomes the norm, every click sets off a chain of warehousing, sorting and delivery operations to move vast volumes of goods quickly and efficiently around the world.

“Thanks to the people who work and deliver at sites like this, those packages arrive at doorsteps around the world every single day,” he said.

World Gateway II, a $200 million facility designed to help companies store and ship goods bound for the region from Singapore, will support both bulk deliveries to businesses and online orders to customers.