Columbia Regional Business Report
www.columbiabusinessreport.com
Staff Report 

FedEx plans to invest $8 million in a new ground facility off of Columbia’s Shop Road, on the east side of the Interstate 77 interchange.

The 126,000-square-foot facility, slated to open in September, will allow FedEx “to continue to meet and exceed customer demands in the region,” a spokesman for the Memphis, Tenn.-based carrier said.

FedEx plans to transfer employees from the existing facility at 2340 Shop Road. The spokesman said the company will add jobs in the future as there is “an increased demand for package pickup and delivery service in the area.” 

The new facility in the Columbia-Richland County Industrial Park is part of the company’s efforts to expand the FedEx Ground network and boost daily package volume capacity, he said.

Since 2005, FedEx has opened 11 new hubs and expanded or relocated more than 500 local facilities, such as the one in Columbia. 

“The network enhancements have resulted in accelerating ground service delivery by one day or more in more than half of the United States,” he said.

FedEx Ground delivers more than 61% of packages in two days or less and more than 82% of packages in three days or less, he said.

“With these changes, FedEx Ground is faster to more overall locations and FedEx Home Delivery is faster to more residential locations than any other ground carrier,” the company stated.

The Columbia facility’s delivery area extends as far north as Great Falls, south to Bamberg, east to Sumter and west to Newberry.

At the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, FedEx air cargo service averages about 40 flights a month.