UPS opens bigger Calgary package hub

UPS opens bigger Calgary package hub    UPS said Monday it has opened a $30 million distribution center at Calgary International Airport that will provide businesses in western Canada with direct access to its global package delivery network.
   The 150,000-square-foot distribution center has been under construction since June 2008 and will allow UPS to double its package processing capability. The hub houses 157 trucks for ground transportation to surrounding communities in addition to serving as a staging point for aircraft.
   The new hub, part of the YYC Global Logistics Hub, will sort and distribute air and ground packages and is a direct response to a surge in UPS business. The global logistics company’s shipment volume from the Calgary area has increased 60 percent since 2003.
   Air cargo tonnage has more than doubled at YYC from 66,000 ton in 1999 to 134,000 ton in 2007. The logistics park generates more than $6 billion of annual economic activity, accounting for about 10 percent of Calgary’s gross domestic product.