UPS is to invest $41 million in a new package operations centre in El Paso, Texas, to support commercial and residential commerce in the growing North America Borderplex.

The investment serves a manufacturing region that stretches across Texas and New Mexico in the US, and Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua in Mexico.

The facility will add more than 153,000 square feet of new processing capacity and is expected to begin operating in late 2018.

UPS’s president of the Red River District, Craig Wiltz says: “El Paso is the gateway to one of the most important industrial corridors in the U.S. – Mexico trade lane. UPS is one of the pistons helping drive the economic growth engine in this community.

“The new building positions UPS to increasingly support U.S. companies growing their cross-border commerce, as well as better serve the rapidly changing business and residential needs of our customers in West Texas.”

UPS’s $41 million in El Paso is part of a multi-year investment plan to grow the company’s smart global logistics network connecting businesses and economies through cross-border trade.

Since early 2016, UPS has announced plans for 16 new and expanded US facilities to create more than 8,650 well paying full and part time positions.

El Paso mayor, Dee Margo says: “The UPS expansion and new state-of-the-art facility near the El Paso International Airport speaks to the strategic growth our community is experiencing.

“By increasing the number of direct flights into the area, enhancing our exceptional quality of life and maintaining our large bilingual bicultural workforce, El Paso will continue to attract new investment opportunities to the region comprised of three states and two countries.”

The facility will also support the UPS Trade Direct Cross Border service, an integrated solution that simplifies the cross border shipping process by allowing shipments to bypass distribution centres, shipping directly to retail stores or end consumers across the Mexico/US/Canada borders.