Safelite Opens Distribution Center in Airdrie, Canada
May 11, 2011

The Safelite Grouphas opened a new distribution center in Airdrie, Canada, and sent out its first shipment of auto glass from the facility in March 2011. The facility will serve the western half of Canada and the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.

Company officials say the new distribution center is approximately 100,000 square feet and carries about 90,000 units of inventory covering roughly 9,000 SKUs. The Airdrie distribution center also is the first facility at which the company has implemented parent company Belron's global warehouse management system, designed to automate inventory control and operational functions within the facility. The system will subsequently be rolled out to all the U.S. and Canadian distribution center and warehouses in the next year, according to Safelite.

According to the company, the latest Canadian facility came as part of both Safelite and sister company Belron Canada's three-year effort to invest in new distribution center and warehouses, which has included the opening of a new western facility in Ontario, Calif., in June 2009; an East Coast distribution center in Braselton, Ga., in August 2010; and a new location in Montreal, Canada, to serve the Eastern half of Canada.

In addition, Safelite officials say they have relocated, expanded or added 31 new warehouses (bringing the total count up to 87) within two years.

"The focus on expanding our supply chain allows us to more quickly and efficiently get the right vehicle glass parts to the right place at the right time so that our customers don't have to wait for service," says Dino Lanno, Safelite's senior vice president of supply chain and manufacturing. "I congratulate all of our team members - from those that researched and assessed our supply chain capabilities to those involved in the site selection and construction to the distribution center and warehouse staff who get the job done every day."

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