Construction on the 138,000-square-foot addition will begin on July 1 and is a combination of two-level high traditional racks topped with a concrete mezzanine and more racks. Warehouse workers will be able to drive forklifts onto this mezzanine and pick product 15 feet off the floor. Traditionally, workers can only pick product from the first and second levels; higher slots are used to store excess product. This new concept doubles the number of pick slots in the same amount of warehouse space. It has been around for a number of years and has been used extensively in the retail industry. This expansion will improve capacity by adding an additional 9,900 slots and 13,100 reserve slots.
"The number of products that our customers want us to carry has dramatically increased in recent years, " says John Long, vice-president of distribution centers. "We needed a new type of warehouse space that provided more pick slots to accommodate this customer demand for more products. "
The construction is managed by Stellar Corp. of Jacksonville, Fla., which has been involved with previous Dot warehouse new construction and expansions.
Dot Foods Inc. carries 92,000 products from 500 food industry manufacturers. Dot Foods and Dot Transportation sell and deliver foodservice, convenience, retail, vending, equipment and supplies to distributors in all 50 states. Dot Foods operates eight distribution centers in: Modesto, Calif.; Vidalia, Ga.; Burley, Idaho; Mt. Sterling, Ill.; Cambridge City, Ind.; Williamsport, Md.; Liverpool, N.Y.; and Ardmore, Okla.
