Kenneth Kaunda Internationalbased NAC2000 is doubling its storage facility from 1 000-2000 sqm and upgrading it into an intelligent warehouse, according to managing director Jonathan Lewis.
“Our objective is to be able to develop a paperless intelligent high security warehouse which makes maximum use of all the available storage space,” he says.
Flexible racking will take the capacity up to 6000 cubic metres. NAC2000 currently operates two warehouse facilities at Kenneth Kaunda International – a 1 250-sqm meter office and storage area with direct access to the apron, as well as the 3 000-cubic-metre cold storage warehouse which will be expanded.
The investment is in response to expected growth in cargo volumes which will be generated through a combination of economic recovery and investment in the airport, which is being positioned as an airfreight hub for the region.
“We will be upgrading our facilities to complement the modern new airport. This will include new equipment to be able to load and unload larger aircraft,” says Lewis.
NAC2000 is also investing in its people, and ongoing training programmes focus on both technical skills and customer service.
“As a result we have been able to grow organically despite the current stagnation of the market,” he says.
Investment in Kenneth Kaunda is part of a nation-wide upgrade of airport facilities aimed at boosting both freight and passenger volumes. Transport minister Brian Mushimba is quoted by the Lusaka Times as telling journalists that “there will be total transformation of the aviation industry in Zambia”.
Other airports being upgraded are Mfuwe (Eastern Province) and Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula (Livingstone).
A new Copperbelt International Airport will replace the existing Ndola facility. Situated 30 kilometres outside Ndola it is being positioned by the Zambia Airports Corporation as a gateway for Central Africa. Work started on the airport in March this year, and Chinese contractor AVIC International is expected to complete the project in three years. Facilities will include a new cargo terminal.
NAC2000, which operates from the Ndola International Airport as well, will move to the Copperbelt Airport, according to Lewis.
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Our objective is to be able to develop a paperless intelligent high security warehouse which makes maximum use of all the available storage space. – Jonathan Lewis
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NAC2000 currently operates two warehouse facilities at Kenneth Kaunda Int’l.
