The largest of its kind in Europe, Alibaba Cainiao Network, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, has officially opened a sorting cum cargo facility at Cainiao Liege Electronic World Trade Platform Hub (eWTP) located at Liege Airport in Belgium.

The Cainiao eWTP Liege Hub, the largest of its kind in Europe, is a key part of the agreement made between Alibaba Group and the Belgian government to join the global eWTP initiative, which aims to lower barriers to global trade for small and medium-size businesses via e-commerce. 👏

The 30,000m2 warehouse is divided into two parts: a 12,000m2 air cargo station for the rapid transit of goods for both export and import between the airside and the landside of the airport; and an 18,000m2 parcel sorting center that organizes parcels according to their destinations across Europe. A four-story office building is adjacent to the warehouse.

The facility is equipped with Cainiao's latest logistics digital technologies such as its handheld LEMO personal digital assistant (PDA) to digitize the flow of goods.

The aircargo station is equipped with an automated material handling system that avoids heavy lifting work. It will also be equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) detectors so cargo can be identified automatically when going into the warehouse, to further digitize the flow of goods. The sophisticated sorting center is equipped with automatic sorting machines.

The project is expected to create 900 direct jobs when it reaches full scale with the construction of additional warehousing facilities in the future.

The Liege Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) hub sorting center is Cainiao's regional flagship sorting center for Europe, and forms a network with the national sorting centers in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Over the past few years, along with the construction of the eWTP Liege Hub, Cainiao has been strengthening its logistics infrastructure to provide a more efficient and seamless cross-border logistics experience across Europe.

Cainiao has also been, working closely with Euopean logistics firms, developed an intra-Europe trucking network that covers more than 30 countries, and has been installing a network of parcel lockers in Spain and France to improve customer experience and improve last-mile delivery efficiency.

Jean-Luc Crucke, Walloon minister for Budget, Finance, Airports and Sports Infrastructure, said the launch of the Cainiao Liege eWTP hub is a perfect example of the expertise developed by Walloon airports and their worldwide reputation in logistics. Building on these strengths, it is now more important than ever to take into account the environmental challenges of their airports, and to strike a balance between airport development and the well-being of the population.

Frédéric Jacquet, CEO of Liege Airport, added that the arrival of the Cainiao eWTP Liege Hub underlines the importance of Liege Airport as a vital link in international trade and a key platform for e-commerce. Alongside general cargo and express, e-commerce represents a diversification opportunity for the airport and also the promise of job development. Cainiao is an ambitious and innovative partner, a partner who pushes Liege Airport to reinvent itself to be better. Cainiao will be able to facilitate Liege Airport to grow in a win-win relationship in the jointly developed projects.

Wan Lin, CEO of Cainiao Network, is grateful to fully become a part in the community of logistics players surrounding Liege Airport, a leading cargo airport in Europe. To build the future of smart logistics together with Cainiao's European partners, contribute to the future of inclusive global trade and community with immense potential in Belgium, starting with the eWTP Hub.

Investors can look forward to more business opportunities for Alibaba with the development of the Alibaba Cainiao eWTP Liege Hub.

Watch this video clip for a quick peek tour of Alibaba Cainiao Liege Electronic World Trade Platform Hub (eWTP) at Liege Airport, the largest of its kind in Europe:

https://youtu.be/VX6S4_B-NFs

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