United Parcel Service (UPS) is to invest USD $13.5 million in its Commerce City Colorado operations centre according to local reports.

Between 20-40 new part time workers will be hired as part of the expansion plans. This is expected to include a 5,000 square foot expansion of the existing facility, as well as new sorting equipment. Faster barcode reading equipment and more automation equipment will mean that small packages will no longer be individually handled.

Dan McMackin, a company spokesman told local reporters, “These expansions help us handle the increased flow of goods ordered through e-commerce. The whole point is to increase through-put – the time it takes to move large amounts of package volume through the building.”

Commerce City is one of UPS central hubs, and currently around 2700 workers handle and sort local and cross country packages. The operation is the city’s largest employer and has over 700,000 square feet of distribution space.

UPS has also expanded its CNG fuelling station capabilities at Commerce City. This is now one of the largest fleet CNG fuelling stations in CO according to state officials.

In all, the Sandy Springs, Georgia, package delivery company delivers more than 15 million packages per day to an estimated 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries around the world.

UPS seems to be focusing on national and international expansion plans after it was unable to prevent its major US rival FedEx from acquiring Netherlands based TNT. This expansion of Commerce City is one of many investments in existing infrastructure around the world as it seems intent on growing to compete with its larger international express rival.