MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lee Hager, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. (Southern) — the nation’s leading wine and spirits distributor with operations in 35 states — announced today the opening of the most technologically advanced facility in the beverage alcohol industry. Located in Union City, California, this is Southern’s second automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) facility — with only a handful in the industry located in North America.
At 334,000 square feet and 55 feet tall, the facility can house more than 12,000 SKUs and 1.8 million cases. Atlantic Street is the first four-high in rack pick module the company has built. The AS/RS — built in collaboration with W&H Systems and Westfalia Technologies, Inc. — stores 24,750 pallets and is equipped for deep pallet storage — up to 10 pallets deep. Four storage and retrieval machines (SRM) refill pallets automatically and each SRM can process more than 80 pallets per hour in and out. Additionally, Atlantic Street is LEED Gold certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Commenting on the necessity for innovation in the industry, Wayne Chaplin, President & Chief Executive Officer, said, “We’re always looking for innovative solutions to leverage world-class supply chain capabilities to reduce costs, deliver optimal fulfillments and provide tailored customer service. We tore down the existing Atlantic Street structure to invest in the development of this state-of-the-art facility that will not only drive value for our trading partners, but also drive internal operational efficiencies that will allow Southern to remain competitive in this ever-changing and highly competitive wholesale environment.”
In 12 short months, the Atlantic Street facility follows the 2013 opening of Southern’s 167,000 square foot Southern Supply Center regional distribution center in Tracy, California.
Hager added, “We’re proud of our Supply Chain advancements over the past year and are committed to the development of solutions that ensure a high-degree of integration for our suppliers and customers. We applaud Bobby Burg — our Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Strategy and the driving force behind this latest facility — and the many key team members involved in this extensive project.
Southern will host a grand opening ceremony for the Atlantic Street facility in February 2015 for industry members, including customer and supplier partners and local community supporters.
About Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc.
Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. is the nation’s largest wine and spirits distributor and broker with operations in 35 markets. The multi-state distributor currently operates in: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Kentucky, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Southern also holds operating licenses and permits in Nebraska and Texas. On a national basis, Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. employs more than 14,000 team members. Southern urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information about Southern and its responsible consumption program, see: http://www.southernwine.com.
