FedEx building major $6-mln logistical center in Tbilisi

TBILISI. Oct 27 (Interfax) - FedEx Corp. , an American multinational transportation, e-commerce, and business services company, has started building a major international-standard logistical center in Tbilisi.

The Tbilisi city hall said the project is worth $6 million and should be completed within 18 months, for which a $4-million loan from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation has been raised.

The center will be constructed not far from Tbilisi International Airport and will cover 10,000 square meters. It will feature modern technology and equipment to speed up cargo delivery and processing. The center is expected to create 150 new jobs.

"This project has no analogues in Georgia. The logistical center will service FedEx transportation operations, but its key and important function is that the project will provide logistical services to small and major companies. Hence, companies won't have to set up and manage their own warehouses, which would save them significant funds," the statement quotes Nino Menteshashvili, executive director of Information Communications Systems, a FedEx licensed representative, as saying.

The new logistical center should also promote the development of e-commerce in Georgia, as its new warehouse services would be incorporated in electronic platforms, and deliveries would go through it without involvement of retail stores.