FoodLogistics.com |

St. Joseph, MI: Hanson Logistics is expanding its temperature-controlled Chicago Consolidation Center, located in Hobart, IN. The Phase II expansion is due in large part to the growth of the Hanson Velocities Multi-Vendor Consolidation program, launched in 2008. Hanson Logistics expects to break ground in March with opening scheduled for July 2010.

Consisting of new office areas and 2,517,000 cu. ft. of warehousing space, the expansion will add more short-term storage, 7,800 pallet positions, staging and dock space for frozen and refrigerated foods.

The flagship Chicago Consolidation Center is a three-phase, 14.5 million cu. ft. facility now in its third full year of operation.

The state-of-the-art complex is designed specifically for high-volume throughput, including flexible racking for quick-pick consolidation and cross docking of temperature-controlled food products. From there, Hanson Transportation Management Services provides inbound, shuttle service, national truckload service, as well as Velocities Multi-Vendor Consolidation (MVC).

Velocities delivers scheduled shared truckloads to major retail, wholesale and foodservice distribution centers throughout the U.S.

“Location, growing pool participation and proven on-time performance have created an increasing demand for our value-added services,” sys Andrew Janson, president, Hanson Logistics. “We are proactive in meeting customer needs with scalable solutions, assuring all clients benefit from Hanson ‘Yes, We Can!’ service.” Hanson Logistics identified the I-80, I-94 and I-65 corridor in northwest Indiana, specifically the area of Hobart, as offering customers the optimum combination of location, business climate, and robust infrastructure. The Chicago Consolidation Center and Velocities brings ‘final mile’ efficiency to food manufacturers of all sizes, including mid-tier volume who are traditionally unable to gain the economies of truckload delivery.