FedEx to build Kokomo distribution center

Kokomo officials today announced plans for a new $5 million FedEx Ground distribution center about an hour’s drive north of Indianapolis.

The announcement comes as FedEx has reportedly been examining an expansion at Indianapolis International Airport.

The Kokomo expansion will create more than 12 jobs in addition to the existing workforce, according to a press release from the city.

FedEx Ground, an operating company of FedEx Corp., plans to build a new 63,000-square-foot building in the Haynews High-Tech Industrial Park in Kokomo, the release said.

“With this investment, FedEx is showing confidence in our community,” said Mayor Greg Goodnight in the release.

“The Kokomo station expansion is part of a nationwide effort to boost daily package volume and further enhance the speed and service capabilities of the FedEx Ground network,” Jim Primm, Central Region vice president of FedEx Ground said in the press release.

Primm cited Kokomo’s access to U.S. 31, workforce availability and proximity to customers.

Since March, there have been signs that FedEx Corp. could be growing at Indianapolis International Airport, adding more airplane parking space and gates at its hub here and more jumbo cargo aircraft to the worldwide fleet.

A FedEx spokesperson had previously declined to comment about changes in the fleet.

However, the Indianapolis Airport Authority is helping the largest cargo carrier at the airport with the multimillion-dollar construction of another 400,000 square feet of ramp space to park at least four more wide-body jumbo jets.

FedEx at Indianapolis already has about 80 flights in and 80 out each day. Most of the flights across the country and to Asia and Europe are overnight. An army of 4,700 workers unload the planes, sort up to 195,000 packages an hour and reload the planes.