Lineage Logistics continues to expand its cold chain network, adding new temperature-controlled facilities in Windsor, Colorado, and Lancaster, Texas.
The Colorado location, built to support the food distribution efforts of long-time customer JBS USA, features “cutting-edge” warehouse automation designed to boost efficiency, improve the quality of food in storage, and reduce energy consumption and food waste—benefits Lineage says will save money for JBS over time.
“For the past year, we’ve worked closely with JBS and the great town of Windsor to construct a state-of-the-art facility that helps strengthen JBS’s supply chain to get food on consumers’ tables, and we could not be prouder of the outcome,” Greg Lehmkuhl, Lineage president and CEO, said in a news release.
The new warehouse is designed to help lower energy consumption and reduce food waste by storing products in a “denser, more energy efficient cube,” the companies said, and automating decision-making to optimize loading, unloading, and storage tasks. The fully automated cold storage facility is outfitted with proprietary warehouse management systems, computer vision systems, algorithms, visibility platforms, and machine-learning capabilities that will support JBS as the company further optimizes its supply chain.
“We are excited to celebrate this milestone in partnership with Lineage and the town of Windsor,” said Wesley Batista Filho, JBS USA CEO. “This facility allows us to provide high-quality food products to our customers in an increasingly efficient way using the latest technology.”
Lineage and JBS broke ground on the facility in April 2022 in partnership with Windsor and Upstate Colorado Economic Development. The completed facility spans approximately 200,000 sq. ft. and includes more than 20,000 pallet positions. The project resulted in a $100 million investment that created approximately 70 new jobs, Lineage added.
Expanding Texas footprint
The addition of the Lancaster location in Dallas County expands Lineage’s footprint in Texas, which now totals nearly 20 facilities spanning approximately 192 million cu. ft. of capacity.
The 343,250-sq.-ft. site will address a range of customer needs and demands with more than 25,000 pallet positions and a user-friendly rack configuration that is designed to handle high SKU counts and intensive case-picking, Lineage said. Once fully operational, the new site will create more than 65 new jobs to support operations.
“We’re proud to announce the opening of our Lancaster site, an exciting new addition to our state-of-the-art network of facilities in the state of Texas,” said Brian Beattie, president of Lineage’s North America west operations. “Texas, more specifically Dallas, is a critical connecting point in the supply chain, and we’re thrilled to bring more innovative thinking and dynamic technology to this community to help optimize distribution, drive efficiencies, and minimize waste across our customers’ businesses.”
Lineage’s Lancaster location offers cross-docking, order management, case picking, EDI, redistribution, freight consolidation, managed transportation, trans-loading, drop trailers, and an on-site generator, Lineage reported.
The addition of the Lancaster facility strengthens Lineage’s network in Texas, which currently includes 18 sites in key cities like Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, McAllen, and San Antonio.
