QINGDAO's Haier Group, makers of home appliances and air conditioners, has chosen the Port Savannah as its logistics hub serving the southeast US, announced Georgia Ports Authority. The global firm will move its home appliances and air conditioners through its distribution centre at the Interstate Centre in Black Creek, just outside Savannah. Haier vice president Larry Monaghan said the Port of Savannah and its adjacent distribution centre network were a good fit for the company. "Haier's projected growth pattern coincides with the already approved work on deepening the Savannah port and the opening of the new Panama Canal," Mr Monaghan said. "Once both of these major projects are completed, we believe that Savannah will become the destination port for distribution into the eastern US," he said. The company said the flexibility offered by the number of shipping services calling on Savannah also played a role in its decision to move an annual volume of 4,500 TEU through the port. To service the new client, Kenco has taken 21,367 square metres at the Interstate Centre located at I-16 and US 280, 18 miles from the Georgia Ports Authority terminals. Kenco said it plans to employ over 50 people at full buildout. "Kenco is proud to have been selected by this market leader," said Kenco Logistic Services president David Caines, "This distribution centre is the first of its kind in the US for Haier, because it handles their complete product line. Previously, the company used dedicated distribution facilities for specific products," said Georgia Ports Authority executive director Curtis Foltz. Interstate Centre is a 1,100-acre Class A Industrial Park located at the Intersection of I-16 and US 280, 18 miles east of the Port of Savannah. Building 100 is a partnership between the Development Authority of Bryan County and TPA Realty Services. The Port of Savannah was the second busiest US container port for the export of American goods by tonnage in FY2011. It also handled 8.7 per cent of the US containerised volume and 12.5 per cent of all US containerised exports in FY2011.