Shanghai is on the short list for a DHL Express new super hub in Asia that could involve hundreds of millions of US dollars in investment, the German company said yesterday.

DHL will choose between Shanghai and South Korean's Incheon for the hub, which will serve the company's rapidly expanding Asian business, said Scott Price, chief executive officer of DHL Express Asia Pacific.

A decision will be made in three months; so far "it's a 50-50 tie," he said.

The new super hub, schedule to go into operation in 2009, will mainly serve intercontinental business to and from North Asia.

DHL's existing two super hubs are in Singapore and Hong Kong. In a recent move, the company nearly doubled its capacity in Hong Kong hub to about 40,000 square meters.

"Given our fast business growth in the north Pacific region, the Hong Kong facility will reach capacity over the next 10 years; so we need one more super hub to tap the demand," Price said.

DHL Express, which partners with Sinotrans in its China operation, has doubled capacity at its Shanghai gateway at Pudong International Airport. DHL facilities now cover 11,000 square meters and can process 8,000 documents and 5,000 packages every hour.

The company said it has invested US$315 million in upgrading infrastructure on the mainland since 2000.