Global logistics company DB Schenker has bought the 14.2 acre former Hewlett Packard campus in Co Kildare, where it will build a high-bay warehouse running to at least 200,000 square feet.
Plans for the site at Liffey Business Campus also include 19,000 sq ft of grade A office space, with room for a further 50,000 sq ft should future expansion require.
According to the company, sustainability is at the heart of decision-making for the new site, and DB Schenker is targeting LEED Silver certification. The site will have 20 EV charging points, a bicycle park, LED lighting throughout, solar panels to provide renewable power, and with a high emphasis on employee wellness.
Chief executive Ray Hennessy said: “This latest project will be the fourth significant investment the company has made in Ireland in the past six years and confirms the demand DB Schenker continues to see in Ireland from its expanding customer base for value-add outsourced logistics services.”
He added that DB Schenker now employs nearly 550 people in Ireland, a number which will grow to more than 600 when the new buildings are completed.
Commercial real estate advisors CBRE have been appointed project manager for project, which has full planning consent from Kildare County Council. Construction is due to commence beginning this August with practical completion by September 2022.
With revenues of €17.7 billion annually, DB Schenker has 74,200 employees at 2,100 locations and logistics facilities totalling 8.8 million sq m. In Ireland the business has two locations in Shannon, one in Cork at Harbour Point, and three in Dublin — Swords, Furry Park and Ballycoolin.