GAC Sri Lanka has partnered with Hemas Transportation to build an integrated logistics facility in Muthurajawela Industrial Zone in the western part of Sri Lanka.

The facility will comprise a state-of-the-art distribution centre, a container yard and a 15-acre warehouse, said a statement from the company.

A ground-breaking ceremony attended by the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickramasinghe, was held yesterday (January 30), it said.

The facility is expected to be operational by early June 2017 and the distribution centre by February 2018, it added.

This new integrated logistics facility will be equipped with the latest reach stackers and will harness a cutting-edge IT platform aimed at innovating Sri Lanka’s logistics system. It will consist of a modern container terminal with a capacity of 6,000 TEUs made up of seven high container stacking and a warehousing and distribution centre offering Third Party Logistics (3PL) services, said a satatement.

Other unique features include a two-way approach to stacks in the container depot and a dual in and out gate that operates independently. The facility will enlist the services of Institute of International Container Lessors (IICL) certified container inspectors who will survey containers entering the depot, benchmarking against global standards, it added.

The distribution centre will consist of 22,000 pallet positions with both ambient and temperature-controlled facilities. Global best practices in layout design, dock efficiency, pallet racking and material handling equipment will be incorporated to enable agile and scalable logistics solutions.

The entire distribution centre’s operation will run on an integrated IT platform that encompasses warehouse management, distribution management and yard management capabilities with barcode and RFID enabled infrastructure.

Mahesh Kurukulasuriya, managing director of GAC Sri Lanka, said: “GAC in Sri Lanka has come a long way. From an eight-man outfit operating from Colombo in 1991, we have grown into one of the country’s leaders in the provision of key specialised support services today with more than 260 employees.”

“This integrated logistics facility is a testament of our unyielding commitment towards meeting our customers’ ever-changing needs through constant innovation,” he said.

“We bring to this partnership, our group’s established track record in providing and managing a diverse and comprehensive range of warehousing and distribution facilities in many locations around the world, as well as in-depth knowledge on the local market and extensive logistics capabilities that both GAC Sri Lanka and our local partner, the McLarens Group can offer,” he added.

“Together, we seek to revolutionise the Sri Lankan logistics market by leveraging the strengths of the companies through this strategic partnership with the Hemas Group,” he concluded.

Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson, managing director of Hemas Integrated Logistics, said: “Our organisation in recent years has made giant strides in diversifying its operations portfolio into warehousing, container depot, car carriers and movement of over dimensional cargoes, 3PL operations, customs brokering and many more.”

“As our next venture in developing our logistics strength further, we have partnered with GAC Sri Lanka, an internationally recognised company in the shipping, marine and logistics industry,” he said.

“Through this joint venture, we aspire to provide total solutions to the Sri Lanka’s exporters and importers whilst adding value to the national economy and making Sri Lanka the maritime and logistics hub in Asia,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service