(Radio Iowa) – FedEx is opening a new distribution center in Cedar Rapids. FedEx announced plans for the 109 million dollar facility earlier this year. The center will sort FedEx Ground packages and a company press release indicates it will be able to process up to 15-thousand packages per hour.

The company intends to hire nearly 300 full and part-time employees for the Cedar Rapids operation as the holiday shipping season gets underway. They’ll be given a chance to remain on the FedEx payroll beyond the holidays.

The facility in Cedar Rapids is of more than 160 fully-automated FedEx Ground stations. The company says more than 97 percent of its daily package volume is managed through these sites.