DHL has opened a new hub in Shanghai, offering domestic transportation in Eastern China. Part of a $25m investment that DHL is making in the Chinese road transportation and distribution market, the facility covers 25,000 square meters and includes 53 loading and cross-docks. The location's cross-dock operation can currently handle 262,000 tons of shipments per year. It runs on iTransport, an information-technology system that DHL is installing throughout the Asia Pacific region. The hub also provides storage, multimodal transfer and data management services, along with fleet control and customer call centers. It is located within the DHL Supply Chain Kangqiao Logistics and Transportation Center, which offers a range of value-added warehousing and distribution services. According to DHL, China's domestic transportation industry has seen strong growth in recent years, from $15bn to $25bn between 1998 and 2007, and is projected to reach $36bn by 2013. Expansion of that sector is being driven in part by a Chinese government plan for developing Shanghai into an international shipping center, DHL says. Source: DHL