MIAMI — Ryder System Inc. continues to expand its multiclient warehouse network, adding a 400,000-square-foot distribution center in Aurora, Illinois.
According to a news release, the newly built facility opened in August. It’s the latest addition to a now six-building campus totaling 2.4 million square feet, primarily serving shippers of consumer packaged goods, including food and beverage, food ingredients, health and beauty, household products and general retail merchandise.
“The location is key. We now have six multiclient warehouses within a five-mile radius, and we have about a thousand employees within a 10- to 15-minute commute, which allows us to pool resources to account for our customers’ seasonal and market fluctuations,” said Darin Cooprider, senior vice president of consumer-packaged goods for Ryder. “And, with room for our customers to grow and to support inventory overflow, it’s an incredible value for customers looking for greater flexibility, efficiency, and ultimately, resiliency.”
Ryder plans to recruit for 60 additional positions to help support the new facility, which has omnichannel fulfillment capabilities, food-grade certifications and ambient temperature controls, as well as 56 dock doors and 26 trailer stalls, the news release stated.
That brings the total for the six-building campus to 335 dock doors, 175 cross-dock doors, and 257 trailer stalls to service customers. The growing campus has rail access and it’s within a one-day truck drive for more than half of the U.S. population.
“Ryder customers have access to a flexible mix of logistics solutions,” Cooprider said. “And, as they grow and their needs evolve, we can seamlessly transition customers from our multiclient facilities to dedicated warehouses, offer dedicated truck capacity with professional drivers, and provide real-time, end-to-end visibility and collaboration technology to help prevent costly delays and find efficiency gains.”
Ryder’s footprint in the greater Chicago area – a key Midwest distribution hub – now includes 11 multiclient warehouses and 23 dedicated customer warehouses totaling more than 17 million square feet.
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
