DHL has expanded its operations in Chicago with the opening of a new service center.

The $1.3 million investment was primarily driven by heavy demand and international shipment growth from local businesses trading internationally, ecommerce shipping, and major customers based in Illinois.

The new 38,000-sq.-ft facility can process more than 2,500 shipments per hour, and sits just north of Chicago’s Midway International Airport, serving the south side of Chicago, the southern and western suburbs of Chicago, and northwest Indiana for pick-up, delivery and sorting operations of international shipments. The center complements an 80,000-sq.-ft DHL service center facility two blocks south of O’Hare that serves businesses in Northern Illinois as well as The Loop, the second largest downtown business district in the United States.

With two strategically positioned facilities that expand the company’s local footprint and capacity, DHL can provide earlier delivery times and later cut-off times for its international customers.

“DHL has been serving Chicago’s thriving business community for many decades and is pleased to make sound investments in our own business to provide great service quality for customers who operate globally,” said Karsten Aufgebauer, senior vice president and general manager for DHL Express.

More than 50 employees are now based at the new service center, including management, clerical staff, couriers, and sales personnel.

The state-of-the-art facility will handle a variety of shipments, including international small parcels as well as palletized and container freight.

In 2015, DHL launched a helicopter service in Chicago to provide early morning delivery services for the area’s financial and legal firms requiring urgent document delivery.

The company also recently announced $137 million in new investments in its U.S. ecommerce infrastructure.