DHL SUPPLY Chain held a recent ceremony to celebrate the opening of its 44,000-square metre Sagamihara Logistics Centre, a purpose-built US$50 million facility in Sagamihara City, Tokyo.

The facility took 12 months to build and adds 20 per cent to DHL's warehousing footprint in Japan and will operate as a multi-user unit with shared resources across different customer operations.

"The new facility is ready to operate and is ideal for retail, consumer and healthcare customers," said DHL Supply Chain north Asia chief Victor Mok.

Located in the west of Tokyo, the facility has excellent transport access to central and western Japan through the national road network, and is close to airports and docks.

The inland location means it is built on a solid foundation and the facility exceeds earthquake proofing standards greatly reducing the risk of natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis.