Hyundai Glovis said Wednesday it has been picked as operator of Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp.’s logistics center in Qingdao, China, its first cold chain business abroad. 

According to the logistics unit of Hyundai Motor Group, its local unit Beijing Glovis, which has been operating there since 2005, will take charge of operation and management of the Qingdao center. 

Beijing Glovis will manage the logistics operations -- from transport to storage and delivery of South Korean agricultural products -- in China for the next five years.

Agricultural food transported from Korea will be stored at the center from seven to 30 days until delivery to different regions in China. 

The company said it aims to strengthen its market influence within China by expanding its cold chain network from the eastern coast, where the demand for materials from Korea is strong, to the western inland region.

Established in 2015, the Qingdao center is the first logistics complex established abroad by aT, with the goal of expanding exports of Korean agricultural food. 

Built on a 13,669-square-meter area, the center can handle up to 20,000 tons of materials annually. 

“With stable operations of the Qingdao logistics center, we will continue diversifying our business portfolio, from automotive logistics to transportation by sea and cold chain business, as a global logistics firm,” said a Hyundai Glovis official.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)