Donnelley Logistics Plans Automated Distribution Plant
R.R. Donnelley Logistics will open a 670,000-square-foot automated distribution facility in York, PA, by the end of second-quarter 2003 in an expansion that is expected to cut delivery times by a day or more nationwide, the company said yesterday.Dubbed a "Super Center" by Donnelley Logistics, the facility is expected to increase the company's package-processing capacity by 40 million per year. The company said growing business from Northeast business-to-consumer shippers and mailers necessitated the expansion.
Delivery times to locations in the Northeast will be cut by two days, the company said. The rest of the nation will see delivery times improve by a day.
The facility first will be outfitted with scanning and high-speed automated sorting technology that will let the plant process packages in 10 minutes. Catalog, book, magazine and direct mail distribution systems will be added next.
In addition, the facility will house operations for Virtual Distribution, Donnelley Logistics' inventory order management and distribution service for merchandisers; Lightweight Express, the company's shipping program for packages weighing less than 1 pound; and ReturnValet, a merchandise return service operated by Donnelley Logistics equity partner Newgistics.
