GENCO Canada
Harrisburg - Recognizing that high temperature is no friend to better wine, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) today took the wraps off a $1.2 million refrigeration project at the Blawnox distribution center that serves Pittsburgh and the entire western third of the state.
PLCB leaders led a tour of the just-completed work at the facility to chill 62,000 square feet of the 250,000-square-foot distribution center. They said the project will ensure the integrity of the wine that is moved in and out of the refrigerated portion of the facility -- more than 100,000 cases a year.
"One of the PLCB's goals is to protect our products from the time they arrive in our system until our customers purchase them," said Jonathan Newman, Chairman of the PLCB. "Now, with the completion of this project, we can provide temperature control from start-to-end -- in the distribution center, in delivery trucks as the wine is shipped to the stores, and in temperature-controlled wine rooms we are introducing to many of our Premium Collection Stores in the Pittsburgh area and across the state."
Newman was joined at today's news conference by PJ Stapleton, Indiana County attorney and member of the PLCB, and Herb Shear, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GENCO, operator of the distribution center in Papercraft Park just off Route 28.
The new refrigeration section can store more than 25,000 cases of wine at any given time. Each year more than 3.3 million cases of wine and spirits are shipped into the distribution center and out to the PLCB's 246 Wine and Spirits stores in 29 counties in western Pennsylvania.
Newman said that the Southwestern Distribution Center is the first of the PLCB's three large regional distribution centers in which temperature-control projects have been completed. The PLCB also is installing temperature-controlled sections in its distribution centers in Philadelphia and Scranton.
Founded in 1898, Pittsburgh-based GENCO is a leader in supply chain solutions, serving retail and manufacturing industries with distribution, returns and transportation management. The company operates more than 80 facilities nationwide, and has been providing distribution services for the PLCB since 1975.
The PLCB's commitment to temperature-controlled wine storage is one of its recent initiatives aimed at making Pennsylvania a wine-friendly state. The initiatives include:
Sales Growth
"All of these steps are part of the PLCB's effort, and eagerness, to listen to our customers and to provide them with the widest possible selection of products at competitive prices in a pleasant shopping environment," said Jonathan Newman, Chairman of the PLCB.
PLCB sales are growing at a record-high rate. PLCB officials report that sales for fiscal year 2003 to date are nearly eight percent higher than sales in the same period in fiscal year 2002.
About GENCO Supply Chain Solutions
GENCO Supply Chain Solutions is North America's largest U.S.-based and a Global Top 50 third-party logistics provider and the recognized leader in Reverse Logistics. The company manages over 130 operations and 37 million square feet of warehouse space throughout North America for a diverse range of retail, manufacturing and government customers. The company provides initial and ongoing value through a complete range of solutions, including contract logistics, transportation logistics, parcel negotiation and audits, reverse logistics, damage research, product liquidation, pharmaceutical services, government solutions and supply chain technology solutions. For more information, visit www.genco.com.
