Procter & Gamble called its Dayton, Ohio-area distribution center ideally situated to both leverage the company's scale and its re-worked supply chain operations.
The Cincinnati-based consumer good giant was revealed Thursday by state officials as the tenant going into the 1-million-square-foot distribution center being built near the Dayton International Airport.
"The new distribution center is part of a significant supply chain transformation in North America, that will dramatically innovate the way we supply our customers," said Yannis Skoufalous, P&G's global product supply officer.
The $90 million distribution center will employ 800 employees and hiring will likely begin in November, said Lynn Anderson, vice president of communications for Exel, the company that will handle logistics at the facility.
The company expects to work with the Montgomery County Jobs Center and others to find the best employees, and there may be job fairs for prospective employees, as well, she said.
This new site will put P&G products closer to retail and population centers as well as major transportation networks, JobsOhio officials said.
"We look forward to working with P&G as it brings what we believe will be one of the most efficient distribution centers in the world," said John Minor, president and chief investment officer for JobsOhio.
Elizabeth Radke, scaled operations director for P&G, said using third-party logistics contract assistance has worked for the company in the past.
"Most of our distribution centers are operated with really outstanding 3PL (third-party logistics) partners," she said. "And that's how we've operated our networks for quite some time very successfully across the region.
"This particular facility, it's very exciting what it's going to have to offer," Radke added. "We believe it will enable our Procter & Gamble brands to get to our consumers faster. And importantly, it also reduces our transportation miles across the region, making this much more of an environmentally friendly network than we have today."
Construction of the company's $90 million site began late last year and should be operational in 2015, company officials said.
"Procter & Gamble is one of the most successful and recognized companies in the world, and we are proud they are expanding their presence here in Ohio with this innovative facility that will be unlike any other in the Midwest," Ohio Gov. John Kasich said in the JobsOhio statement.
In a report to Montgomery County leaders last year, supply chain consultant St. Onge identified Union's Global Logistics Airpark and Progress Park in Moraine as two of the area's largest potential industrial parks.
"This announcement is another great example of one of the world's elite companies making an investment in the Dayton region because they believe in the value we offer," Jeff Hoagland, president and CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition, said in the JobsOhio statement.
