Bordentown Township, New Jersey is the site of Grainger’s huge new regional distribution facility.
The broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products serving businesses and institutions, hosted a grand opening of the 1.3 million ft² facility, which stocks more than 300,000 items and allows the company to deliver more products by the next day to customers in the Northeast of the USA.
It is one of 20 distribution facilities for Grainger across the USA.
The distribution center runs on state-of-the-art distribution technology enabling real-time order processing. The building also features more than 13,000 high-efficiency SunPower solar panels on its roof, capable of producing 4.3 megawatts of electrical power.
“Our Northeast Distribution Center in New Jersey is a significant investment focused on helping to ensure an effortless experience for our customers by getting them the products they need to keep their operations running and their people safe, and making those products available faster than the competition,” said Barry Greenhouse, Grainger Vice President, Global Supply Chain. “Grainger has been in New Jersey since 1933, and we look forward to continuing to provide exceptional value to businesses in the Northeast.”
Commitment to the community
With six locations that include five branches and the distribution center, Grainger employs approximately 685 staff in New Jersey. Approximately 550 of those work in the new distribution center with roles primarily in warehouse operations. Grainger’s support of the community also extends to Brookdale Community College, Mercer County Community College and its students. Each year, two students studying the skilled trades, public safety or supply chain management from each school have the opportunity to earn financial assistance as part of the Grainger Tools for Tomorrow scholarship program. Upon graduation, students receive a customised Westward toolkit, which includes specialised tools for the student’s area of professional expertise.
In the past eight years, Grainger has invested heavily in its distribution center network to ensure optimum capacity, increased automation and standardisation in response to the need for on-demand delivery of products, information and services. This robust and evolving distribution center network allows Grainger to ship most orders complete with next-day delivery.
W.W. Grainger, Inc, saw $10.1 billion sales in 2016. The North American MRO supplier also has operations in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Grainger owns Fabory and Cromwell.