ODW Logistics will soon open a second distribution center at its new campus near Rickenbacker International Airport.
The third-party logistics provider – already one of the region's largest private companies and employers – will add a 930,000-square-foot facility to its local footprint.
Located at 6920 Schieser Farms Rd. East in Lockbourne, the distribution center is set to open in mid-June. It will employ 75 to 100 people.
This marks the second building on ODW's growing distribution campus. With the new facility, the company will have 5 million square feet of warehouse space in Central Ohio. Nationally, ODW has 32 facilities and 9 million square feet of space.
“The warehouse environment that ODW is creating is meant to provide a higher level of service to clients that are looking for a leading 3PL provider,” ODW CEO John Ness said. “This campus represents growth."
In the fall, Ness told Columbus Business First that they were already planning a second distribution center on the Lockbourne campus when the company announced its first project. That 540,000-square-foot facility, located at 1533 Rohr Road, recently became operational.
Ness said the main purpose of the new distribution centers is to increase efficiency. The centers have updated technology and were built to maximize the amount of functional space, he said.
With more efficient facilities and equipment, ODW was able to implement a program called "multi-client freight consolidation." He said the program allows ODW to ship more freight on fewer trucks.
"What this new campus allows us to do is load trailers more efficiently," Ness said. "We're optimizing orders more efficiently than ever with our great technology and the smart employees we have. We're also putting orders for multiple customers on the same truck, which lowers the amount of trucks on the road.
"It also lowers the cost-per-unit because there are more units on every trailer. The same number of orders can be delivered on fewer trucks because they are being loaded better."
Ness said the freight consolidation program is a win-win for ODW and its customers. One of those clients is HRB Brands, a personal care company with products including Pert, Sure and Zest. Ness said ODW has gotten positive feedback from HRB and other customers that have signed on to the program.
Ness said ODW's work with retail clients, which includes shipping products to big box stores such as Walmart, Target and Meijer, has driven much of the company's growth.
"It's not just retail, but that's a big part," he said. "We ship a lot of consumer goods products."
ODW isn't finished growing. The company's distribution campus has the potential for three more buildings, Ness said. ODW is eyeing a spec building for expanded operations and has plans to construct two additional facilities in the 400,000-to 600,000-square-foot range.
"We have a whole master plan to support our growth," Ness said. "We believe that our future business growth will create the demand, so we'll keep constructing more buildings and making significant investments."
Source: Columbus Business First