As part of its growth strategy Kuehne + Nagel is continuously expanding its capacities and service portfolio in Belgium. Today, the extension of its state-of- the-art logistics centre in Geel was inaugurated by the Honorary Chairman of Kuehne + Nagel International AG, Klaus-Michael Kuehne. Numerous customers, business partners and political representatives attended the ceremony.

Kuehne + Nagel's highly functional logistics centre in Geel has been taken into operation in 2006 and serves its key customers as import, storage and European distribution hub. After completing the second phase of construction, the facility's 45,000 sqm of warehouse space has now been extended to a total of 65,000 sqm. An area of 10,000 sqm is specifically designed to meet the requirements of the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. In total, the Belgium organisation manages around 300,000 sqm of warehouse space for its customers.

Besides traditional inbound and outbound logistics services, Kuehne + Nagel provides innovative contract logistics and end-to-end solutions creating sustainable added value. In addition, customers benefit from the continuous optimisation of processes, resulting in high operational efficiency.

I am very pleased about the dynamic growth of our Belgian organisation and in particular about the excellent performance of our contract logistics business here in Geel, said Klaus-Michael Kuehne in his key note address. The extension of our premises underlines that our customers appreciate our comprehensive range of services across the entire supply chain. The site's geographic location and its trimodal access to motorways, railways and waterways as well as its proximity to Brussels and Liège airports and the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam support our goal to best serve our customers.

Minister-President of Flanders, Kris Peeters: The one with the courage to invest and to look ahead in difficult times will take advantage from it as soon as a period of new growth will come. Kuehne + Nagel is one of these companies which continues to show the willingness to invest further in Flanders. Through the expansion of its logistics centre towards a total capacity of 65,000 sqm, Kuehne + Nagel shows its confidence towards the future. Thanks to these kinds of investments Flanders will be able to confirm its position as logistics top region in the heart of Europe.