An Post invests €1.6m in parcel plant expansion
A new €1.6m extension to An Post’s national parcel processing facility at Portlaoise Mails Centre was officially opened today by Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey.
More than 20,000 parcels are processed at the Portlaoise hub each day, comprising parcel mail posted in Dublin and Leinster, as well as all incoming international parcels.
The 9000 sq ft extension to the mails centre brings to 43,000 sq ft the space devoted exclusively to parcel processing, an operation which involves tariff checking, barcoding, customs clearance (for international items) and sorting for onward dispatch and delivery.
“With globalisation, liberalisation and developments in technology, all national postal operators including An Post, have to change very rapidly to stay competitive and commercial in the postal market,” said Mr Dempsey.
“This expansion sends an important message of intent that An Post remains committed to the parcels business in Ireland.
“It also represents a tacit acknowledgment that this business has the potential for very significant levels of growth and that the company intends to be prepared to exploit this potential.”
An Post chairperson Margaret McGinley said that the company had invested more than €14m in the Portlaoise Mails Centre since it first opened in 1997 and more than €110m in the national mails infrastructure during the past 12 years.
“This demonstrates An Post’s very firm commitment to this area and signals our intent to safeguard, maintain and grow our business,” she said. “We are very proud of the fact that the number of staff employed at this centre has grown from 80 in 1997 to 270 today.”
