MCM Distribution Center

I recently had an opportunity to tour the MCM distribution Center. It’s not the first time, more like the tenth, but it never fails to impress me. The 135,000 sq. ft., fully automated facility is located in Springboro, Ohio.

The work flows in a U-shaped pattern in-to-out, throughout the warehouse. The first stop is receiving, a large area in the front of the center, where there is always a flurry of activity. When you stock over 40,000 products, there’s always shipments coming in. The goal is one-day turn around for moving products into stock and the team is right on it. The next area is bulk storage, where shelves stocked with boxes of products, soar towards the ceiling. (I’m not sure how high the shelves go but I had to count the products on the top shelf for inventory once and I can tell you that it’s HIGH!) The shelves cover almost one fourth of the facility.

On the other side of the distribution center, in the back, is where the packing of orders begins. Orders are relayed to a printer where a picker collects them and assigns each a tote. The totes progress through the warehouse on a conveyor system. The totes stop at various positions and are filled with products: the Carousels – where small products are positioned on rotating racks for easy access; Bin Storage – where mid to small size products are stored in stationary bins; Oversize Storage – where large and oversize items are kept. (I’ve left out lots of technical details but are most of you really going to miss them?) By the time products reach the end of the line the order is complete. The orders then proceed to the next area, shipping. Orders are packaged, invoiced and shipped via the customer’s selected carrier.

It’s an impressive operation carried out by a dedicated team, and I didn’t even discuss all the other things that go on there, such as quality control, returns, storage replenishment and on, and on. Did I mention that the distribution center isn’t air conditioned? (They do have large ventilation fans – WhooHoo!) It’s days like today when it’s 92° outside and I’m sitting in the comfort of my air conditioned office that I really feel for them. So kudos to the distribution center staff for all their hard work, no matter the temperature!!

Have a great day!