UPS Canada Opens New "Door to the World" Through Expanded Thornhill Hub

December 01, 2009

Building Is Largest Single Canadian Investment

UPS Canada today formally opened a (US)$70 million expansion of its Toronto distribution centre, once again demonstrating its commitment to boosting Canadian trade by simplifying the import and export of goods.

Scott Davis, chairman and CEO of UPS, and Mike Tierney, president of UPS Canada, presided over the official opening of the newly expanded 463,024-square-foot facility, the equivalent to about eight football fields. The enlarged "door to the world" more than doubles UPS's package processing capacity to facilitate international commerce between Canadian businesses and their overseas counterparts.

In opening the expanded facility, Davis noted it might seem strange that UPS would invest $70 million "in the middle of the worst recession in recent history."

"But there's a simple answer," the CEO continued. "UPS sees the same kind of possibilities in Canada that we saw more than 30 years ago when it began operations here. What we see is amazing potential - a strong and resilient Canadian economy, the unstoppable force of global commerce and a nation of companies ready to emerge stronger from the recession into a new era of global growth."

UPS broke ground on the expansion of the Toronto hub in 2007, recognizing a growing demand among businesses in Toronto - and Canada as a whole - to ship goods within the country and to destinations around the world.

"You can't look at this building as a stand-alone facility," Davis added. "It's really part of a global web of air and ground facilities, freight and airline fleets, warehouses and retail stores connecting each business to more than 200 countries and territories around the world."

The expanded Toronto hub is located on Toronto's northern border within the rapidly growing city of Vaughan, where UPS is the second largest employer. It will process freight shipments in addition to small package volume.

"This newly expanded facility will serve as a local economic driver, creating several hundred jobs for local and regional residents," said Tierney. "In addition, it will contribute to the tax base and offer the city a state-of-the-art building in line with environmental standards."

The building includes numerous eco-features, including skylights for more natural light; an energy management system for climate control that automatically detects the amount of sunlight in the building and adjusts the internal temperature accordingly; the expansion of the propane fuelling area to facilitate a broader use of propane fuel, and a comprehensive storm water management system.