Construction has begun on a new UPS distribution facility in Salt Lake City that the company expects to be the “crown jewel” in its system. It is expected that the facility will house about 1,500 jobs.
The distribution center is being built at 380 S. 6400 W. and will contain 840,000 square feet. It will be capable of processing 69,000 packages an hour, according to a written statement from the company.
Carolee Streeper, the UPS human resources manager in Salt Lake City, said the building will be “fully automated and will have very high conveyors and tilt trays.” Despite the extensive automation, “we’re still going to be adding about 1,500 jobs,” she said.
State officials also expect the project to have a ripple effect in attracting other businesses. “As we are out selling, we are able to use the name UPS,” said Val Hale, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. “We are able to use the name UPS and say, ‘Look, they made a $250 million investment. They did their due diligence and they chose us.’”
Hale said “having businesses like these really helps us in the long term, because we never know when the next downturn is going to come.”
UPS has over 4,000 employees in Utah. Construction on this new facility is scheduled for completion in 2018.