OREANDA-NEWS. November 06, 2013. Incheon airport had a ground breaking ceremony at Free Trade Zone in the airport, to build Johnson Matthey Catalysts’ Asian logistics center.

Johnson Matthey is a British multinational chemicals and precious metals company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It hires over 11,000 employees in 30 nations, making GBP 10.7 billion (KRW 18 trillion) of revenue annually.

The foreign investment company, Johnson Matthey Catalysts plans to kick start its business in Incheon around March 2014, once this 4,000 m2 center is completed.

The logistics center will keep around 35,000 types of chemical products of Alfa Aesar until they are distributed to Asian nations: Japan, South-east Asian countries, and India. Alfa Aesar is the brand name for Johnson Matthey's Research Chemicals business.

Through this center, the company is expected to create over KRW 45 billion of added value and 300 tons of throughputs annually, which will ultimately lead to boost the economic growth in Incheon area by adding to local jobs.

Incheon Airport is building its brand awareness as a logistics hub by welcoming a recent series of global conglomerates. Among them, STATS Chip Pac Korea, most recently, began to build its manufacturing facilities and R&D center September. Meanwhile, opening of Johson Matthey’s logistics center is meaningful as it is the first logistics center to be built through direct investment from the headquarters since the opening of airport logistics complex in 2006.

“The purpose of the logistics complex was only keeping exported and imported goods, at the beginning of the opening. Now, it grew to find new business models befitted to Incheon airport. It builds distribution centers for products that are bound for Asian nations, and integrated distribution center for local businesses.” said a person concerned, adding that all of these would help Incheon airport be a logistics hub in name and deed.