Multinational food company Kraft Heinz opened a state-of-the-art distribution center (DC) in California earlier this summer designed to get products to market faster and more efficiently while also reducing the company’s environmental impact.
Logistics real estate giant Prologis built the 650,000 square-foot DC and is leasing it to Kraft Heinz; logistics and transportation company Ryder System, Inc. will manage operations. The building is a consolidation and relocation of Kraft Heinz’s Stockton, Calif., distribution operations and adds new capabilities, including the company’s first CO2 refrigeration system, six railcar integrated docks serviced by Union Pacific, a permanent building back-up generator, electric vehicle (EV) yard truck infrastructure, and solar panels. Officials from Ryder said they plan to recruit about 100 new workers for the facility, which is located in Lathrop, Calif., just outside of Stockton. The LEED-certified facility (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) uses solar power, LED lighting, as well as energy-efficient CO2 refrigeration and will serve as an infrastructure model moving forward, Kraft Heinz officials said. Officially opened in June, the DC includes 150,000 square feet of cold storage, 37,000 square feet of ambient-conditioned storage, 457,000 square feet of dry storage, 93 dock-door positions, six rail-door positions, and charging infrastructure for electric yard trucks.
