2024.02.13
CJ Logistics speeds up overseas expansion
By Kim Hae-yeon, The
Korea Herald - CJ Logistics, the nation’s largest logistic firm, affiliated
with retail giant CJ Group, is speeding up its overseas expansion this year,
according to industry sources on Monday.
Its Indian
subsidiary, CJ Darcl Logistics, aims to make its stock debut in the first half
of the year, while the company plans to start construction of three massive
distribution centers in the US later this year.
CJ Logistics,
commanding 45 percent of the domestic parcel delivery market, has been steadily
expanding its presence to 34 countries and 271 cities worldwide in its push for
global expansion. Out of total sales of 11.8 trillion won ($8.86 billion) last
year, overseas revenue accounted for 4.2 trillion won.
Key global markets
for this year include the US, India and Saudi Arabia.
The North American
project, with an investment of about 600 billion won in collaboration with the
Korea Ocean Business Corp., is slated for phased completion starting from the
first half of 2026. The project will see the establishment of distribution centers
at three locations -- two in Chicago and one in New Jersey -- owned by CJ
Logistics America, a subsidiary of CJ Logistics.
Spanning some
360,000 square meters collectively, equivalent to the size of 50 standard
international soccer fields, these centers are strategically located near major
airports and logistics hubs to provide integrated logistics services linking
various modes of transportation.
The planned Chicago
sites border the BNSF Railway, the largest US freight rail company, and O'Hare
International Airport, a premier cargo hub. The New Jersey facility is adjacent
to Port Newark and John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Upon completion, the
North American logistics centers will facilitate the entry of Korean products
to the North American market. They will also support logistics activities for
the construction of three US battery plants, following a 300 billion-won contract
acquisition from Korean companies.
Meanwhile, Indian
affiliate CJ Darcl Logistics aims to finalize its listing process by June at
the latest, after submitting a preliminary listing request to the Securities
and Exchange Board of India in September last year. CJ Darcl Logistics
currently operates 187 bases across India and provides logistics services to
over 2,900 business clients.
In Saudi Arabia a
global distribution center is under construction at Riyadh’s Special Integrated
Logistics Zone, which was set by the Saudi government at the King Khalid
International Airport under aims to position the kingdom as a logistics hub by
2030.
With an investment
of 60 billion won, the project features daily processing capacity of 15,000
boxes, and is expected to start operating in the latter half of this year.
In November, CJ
Logistics inked a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia's Nesma Group,
the entity overseeing the Saudi global distribution center construction. The
initiative is anticipated to open avenues for CJ ICM, CJ Logistics’ Middle
Eastern subsidiary, particularly in the field of heavy goods logistics and
inland transportation.
Source: https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20240212050081