Schenker Logistics Inc., a provider of logistics services, has signed a five-year contract to operate a third-party warehouse, a transportation management system (TMS) load center and provide lead logistics activities at Spirit AeroSystems' greenfield start up located in Kinston, N.C. Spirit is a supplier of commercial airplane assemblies and components, including fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components.
Spirit's employees at the new facility will build the composite center section of the fuselage and the front spars for the aircraft's wings for the Airbus A350XWB, which is being assembled at Spirit's facility in St. Nazaire, France.
The partnership began in April and will be patterned after a similar project DB Schenker operates for Spirit in Wichita, Kansas. Scope of work includes product receipt and putaway; pick, pack and sequenced line feed to point-of-use locations. The warehouse will deploy voice pick, advanced kitting and visual line side management as well as automated point-of-delivery functionality.
At its maturity, it is estimated that 40 full-time DB Schenker employees will work at the new Kinston facility.