- They believe it will be a new beginning to reinvent themselves and look to the future
More than 742 thousand square meters redefine Punta Cana’s economic niche with the opening of the Punta Cana Free Trade Zone, a project that adds a strategic platform for air logistics, aeronautical maintenance and technological industry to compliment tourism.
Sponsored by the Puntacana Group (GPC), and built within the Punta Cana International Airport, the project will be the first in Latin America and the Caribbean to integrate an air logistics center, an industrial park and a free trade zone into the same space, with a projection of 9,000 direct and indirect jobs. Its design aims to consolidate the Dominican Republic as a regional center for world-class technical and logistical services, reducing transportation costs and opening new trade routes.
The complex has a 15,890 m² logistics center for the multimodal handling of goods, a 6,300 m² industrial area in its first stage – with the capacity to expand up to 60,000 m² – and a 22,000 m² fuel terminal to service cargo aircraft, which will generate 200 jobs.
“It is a commitment to Dominican talent, to the transfer of knowledge and technology, to quality employment and productive diversification of the country. Leading companies in aeronautical technical services, advanced manufacturing, logistics services, electronic component manufacturing and international luxury goods distribution will be installed here,” said the president of the Puntacana Group, Frank Elías Rainieri Kuret.
“The Punta Cana Free Trade Zone is not a point of arrival, it is a new beginning, a symbol that we Dominicans know how to reinvent ourselves, look to the future and create sustainable progress from our roots. Just as more than 50 years ago tourism transformed our province, today sees the beginning of an industrial transformation that will define the coming decades,” he concluded.
The complex also has a specialized area for aircraft maintenance, repair and inspection, with 10 holding areas, which will create more than 1,000 technical jobs and establish a new industry linked to aviation in the country. In addition to this, there is an administrative building and essential complementary services, including educational centers aimed at training the talent that the installed companies will demand.
International Alliance
The logistics center will operate in alliance with an international air cargo terminal located within the free zone, with a total space of 8,600 m², of which 50% is dedicated to cold storage, which makes the complex a strategic point for the import, export and distribution of goods.
The Puntacana Group is confident that companies dedicated to aeronautical maintenance, advanced manufacturing, the production of electronic components, high-value logistics and the international distribution of luxury goods will boost the country’s productive diversification and its integration into global value chains.
Goals even include the possibility that the Dominican Republic will banch out into producing aeronautical components and spare parts.
The promoters said that the new complex represents a starting point towards the industrial transformation of the region, just as tourism did more than five decades ago.
The opening ceremony was attended by President Luis Abinader accompanied by several officials from his cabinet, including the ministers of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs; Public works; and Labor, as well as the director general of Customs and other authorities.
A thousand new jobs
The logistics hub also includes an area for aircraft maintenance, repair and inspection with capacity for 10 aircraft docks, a center that will generate more than 1,000 new specialized jobs and create a new industry in the Dominican Republic.
Punta Cana Free Trade Zone’s general manager, Ebell De Castro, highlighted that it will have an administrative building for the offices of the free zone companies operating there.
He also said that to guarantee the integrity of this entire ecosystem, essential complementary services have been included such as educational centers that ensure the training and availability of local talent, to create an environment that especially attracts companies with high technological value.
“Our air cargo hub, in alliance with DP World, makes us the only free zone in the region with an international air cargo terminal within its premises. With a total area of 8,600 meters, 50% of which is given over to cold storage, we are a nerve center for managing import, export and cargo transport,” he said.
9,000: direct and indirect jobs will be created with the opening of the logistics hub.
Abinader highlights the impact of the work
In the words of President Luis Abinader, the country is already the most important logistics hub in the region, thanks to the incorporation of this new park, port investments – such as the project in Manzanillo, where a logistics area is also being developed – and the progress of Haina International Terminals (HIT), among other initiatives. He added that this consolidation translates into more opportunities and sustainable development for all Dominicans. He also highlighted the growth of free zones in different parts of the country, which continue to attract a growing number of companies. For his part, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs, Víctor Bisonó, said that the complex represents a new development model.
Source:
