Columbus, GA – Kysor/Warren, a division of Manitowoc Foodservice and one of the top manufacturers of refrigerated display cases and refrigerated systems for supermarket retailers in North America, today announced the expansion of its Columbus, Georgia-based production operations with the opening of its newest distribution center.  The new facility will be one of four locations the company operates in the city.

 

“This expansion provides Kysor/Warren with increased production and distribution capacity required to meet the growing demand for our products and the needs of our customers,” said Jim Laycock, president at Kysor/Warren.  “Our continued growth in sales and market share within the commercial refrigeration industry has not only led to the expansion of our facility ensuring new efficiencies to better serve our customers, it has also created jobs in the Columbus area for production associates, engineers and administrative support staff.”  

 

The new facility, located within just three miles of Kysor/Warren’s Columbus headquarters is expected to be fully operational by August 2010.  The 140,000-square-foot distribution center will help streamline the manufacturer’s shipping capabilities while creating more production space within its existing 300,000-square-foot case plant.  

 

“The additional space will allow us to install three more production lines which will enhance the process for distributing goods to our customers across the country,” said Lee McDaniel, vice president of manufacturing at Kysor/Warren. “The facility will be a great asset for accommodating the increased production volume we’ve experienced within the last year.”   
 
Fueling the company’s growth has been the recent launch of its STRATUS product line, a new series of refrigerated display merchandisers featuring an innovative, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly design.  Unveiled in May 2009, the refrigerated display cases are the state-of-the-art in sustainable products reducing energy consumption for grocery retailers by 16 percent. The product line also features lighting that lowers energy usage by at least 60 percent. Following the STRATUS product launch, Kysor/Warren has experienced all-time production highs including the doubling of construction volume of its refrigerated display cases.  The increased demand for the company’s products has already led to the hiring of nearly 150 production associates since April of this year.  Kysor/Warren is home to more than 800 employees in the Columbus area.  With ongoing recruiting efforts, the company looks to employ up to 1,000.   

 

“The new warehouse facility will bolster our efforts to respond to the needs of our customers by strengthening our capabilities to support greater production volume,” said Jim Knudsen, vice president of sales and marketing at Kysor/Warren.  “This is an exciting time for our company and we look forward to the continued growth opportunities this expansion will bring.”

 

In July, Kysor/Warren will hold a grand opening ceremony to officially celebrate its occupancy of the new facility. Local city officials are expected to be on hand.