Construction of the new 6,500m₂ terminal is now underway and WFS aims to begin operations from the facility by the end of Q1 2024, increasing its total cargo facility footprint in Madrid to 17,000m₂.
The new building will offer 17 landside truck and van docks for efficient cargo collections and deliveries, 2 build-up-pallet lanes and docks, 4 airside truck and dollies docks with tilting and 20-foot ULD handling capabilities and a secured refrigerated cargo acceptance area.
There will also be 2-8°C and 15-25°C loose and mechanised temperature-controlled cool rooms for pharma and perishable shipments, supported by WFS’ GDP certification in Madrid as well as dedicated areas for DGS, VUN, HUM, PIL and AVI special cargoes.
WFS has been investing in its operation in Madrid for over two decades to meet customer growth at Spain’s leading cargo airport, previously adding additional facilities in 2001, 2018, and 2019.
The building will match WFS’ other cargo terminals in Madrid by being powered by 100% renewable energy, including energy generation by solar panels located on the roof of the facility, which will also power LED lighting, warehouse climatization, and electric battery chargers for cars and warehouse GSE.
Indoor automated guided vehicles will also be introduced into the facility in the second half of 2024.
Digitisation initiatives will include the launch of Cargospot mobile warehouse technology, the CargoKiosk system to automate and expedite truck processing times, and a Warehouse Workflow Monitoring System to meet customer KPIs and improve efficiency.
“Madrid is such a strategically important cargo market as a hub for Central and South America to and from the EU and connecting the Middle and Far East markets. This new cargo terminal will help to future-proof WFS’ service offering by increasing our handling capacity by 60% for our current and future airline customers. This will enable us to accommodate strong organic growth and support the significant increase of inbound e-commerce traffic from China,” said Humberto Castro, Managing Director of WFS in Spain.
WFS has been present in the Madrid cargo and ground handling market since 1998.