(Cincinnati, OH: December 21, 2004) FKI Logistex® (www.fkilogistex.com), a global leader in integrated material handling solutions, and Dollar Tree Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR: www.dollartree.com), the nation’s largest $1.00 discount variety store chain, recently celebrated the grand opening of Dollar Tree Stores’ new state-of-the-art distribution center in Joliet, Illinois. FKI Logistex, a partner in the distribution center project, provided the material handling system, including conveyor, merge and sortation systems.
“This is our largest facility, and the centerpiece of our logistics network,” says Bob Sasser, CEO, Dollar Tree Stores.
FKI Logistex Conveyor System at Dollar Tree Stores Joliet DCAt 1.2 million square feet and expandable to 1.5 million square feet, the new distribution center was constructed to service the company’s continued expansion in the Midwest. Now with nine distribution centers serving more than 2,600 stores, Dollar Tree Stores expects to continue with aggressive expansion in the coming years. The new facility is one of the fastest-running distribution centers in the country, with sorter speeds of up to 600 feet per minute. The center will eventually employ 300 people from the Will County, Illinois area.
“From the first project meeting to the receipt of merchandise in the center took only 18 months, an incredible feat that’s a real tribute to our staff and our partners,” says Stephen White, chief logistics officer, Dollar Tree Stores.
“The capabilities of the distribution center and the speed at which it came online resulted from a real team effort across the board,” says John Westendorf, president, FKI Logistex Warehouse and Distribution North America. “FKI Logistex brought its full range of distribution center engineering, manufacturing and systems integration expertise and experience to this enormous project. We look forward to partnering again with Dollar Tree Stores as it continues to expand.”
For more information, please contact Melissa Farmer, account executive, Koroberi, Inc. (www.koroberi.com), by phone at (919) 960-9794 ext. 16 or by e-mail at [email protected].
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About FKI Logistex North America FKI Logistex® North America (www.fkilogistex.com) is a leading provider of automated material handling solutions, supplying its customers with an integrated set of leading-edge technologies in high-speed sortation, conveyor systems, carousels, palletizing, paperless pick products, AS/RS, controls, order processing software, RFID implementation, warehouse control systems, and total materials handling automation.
FKI Logistex Airport, Post and Parcel integrates high-speed sortation and conveying systems to meet the high-throughput needs of postal and parcel customers, and provides advanced baggage handling, security, and RFID track-and-tracing for airports of all sizes. FKI Logistex Manufacturing Systems builds automated material handling systems using state-of-the-art technology for storing, picking, ID solutions, palletizing, kitting, packing and shipping that enable manufacturers to process more orders per day at a lower cost. FKI Logistex Warehouse and Distribution designs high-accuracy, high-speed, high-reliability material handling, sortation, and order fulfillment solutions for warehouses and distribution centers that shrink the supply chain and maximize material handling ROI.
With projects that include many of the world’s most advanced material handling operations, FKI Logistex is home to the industry’s most successful and recognized brands, including Alvey palletizers, Buschman conveyors, Cleco cranes and AS/RS solutions, Crisplant sorters and baggage handling applications, IoSystems supervisory and automated control systems, Mathews conveyors, Real Time Solutions order fulfillment and picking solutions, and White carousels and automated storage solutions. For more information on FKI Logistex, click here to visit the FKI Logistex media center. For sales information, contact FKI Logistex by phone at (877) 935-4564 or by e-mail at [email protected].
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About Dollar Tree Stores, Inc. Dollar Tree Stores, Inc. (NASD: DLTR) is the nation’s leading $1.00 discount variety store chain, offering a vast array of products including house wares, seasonal goods, food, toys, party goods, personal accessories, books, candles and more. The company operates over 2,600 stores in 48 states and a coast-to-coast logistics network of nine distribution centers. Visit Dollar Tree Stores on the web at www.dollartree.com.