The FedEx Gateway, the first outside the Klang Valley, will serve major towns from Sungai Petani in the north to Taiping in the south through a road network.

It also offers overnight delivery to 20 major Asian cities.

FedEx Malaysia managing director SC Chong said the company was setting its sights at opening another facility at Batu Kawan on the mainland.

“Batu Kawan is one of the gems on the mainland. We are experiencing rapid growth in terms of volume on the mainland and we are looking forward to serving our customers there.

“We are also catering to the growing small and medium enterprises which account for 36% of the gross domestic product.

“By providing our gateway in Penang, we are opening up the businesses in the northern region to the world,” he told reporters after the launch of the Penang Gateway by Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

At the ceremony, Chow said FedEx’s expansion was most welcome as Penang was experiencing fast growth in the manufacturing sector.

He said total trade amounted to RM356.6 million between January and September last year despite global economic uncertainties.

Chow said the new facility would give high-value manufacturers an option to transfer their goods quickly.

“The logistics sector continues to be an important economic driver for Penang, supporting the continued growth of our local industries, especially the manufacturing sector.

“The facility will play an essential role in turning Penang into a logistics hub for Malaysia’s northern region, as well as a gateway enabling cross-border trade, attracting foreign investments,” he said.

FedEx’s Penang Gateway facility will handle shipments from the northern region through two Boeing 767s on standby, with four flights daily.

It also has three 40ft trucks to connect Penang by road to Bangkok and Singapore.

The warehouse, measuring 4,830 sq m, is also the first facility of its kind in Malaysia to feature X-ray scanning for 100% of all packages, capable of handling more than 2,700 packages per hour.

FedEx was the first tenant at the airport’s cargo area in 2001, with a 22,000 sq ft facility. It has 1,400 employees in Malaysia, with 25% of them in Penang.