Today, GE Appliances, a Haier company, opened the first new logistics center in northwest Georgia near the Appalachian Regional Port, adding momentum to the expansion of the Port of Savannah and its Georgia ports. The new center, referred to as the Southern Logistics Center, accelerates GE Appliances’ supply chain, enabling the company to provide materials and components to its U.S. manufacturing plants.
GE Appliances (GEA) builds more than 2,300 appliances per hour in nine U.S. plants, which requires the purchase, storage and distribution of more than two billion parts and components. With the opening of the $32 million Southern Logistics Center, the fulfillment of those parts became easier.
More efficient supply chain
The 504,000 square foot center is the largest investment and first fulfillment and distribution warehouse at the Appalachian Regional Port (ARP), located in Murray County, an inland extension of the Port of Savannah.
“The Southern Logistics Center is integral to GE Appliances’ future because it will reduce lead time on components and enable a more efficient supply chain,” said Bill Good, vice president of supply chain for GE Appliances. “This will help ensure that our manufacturing plants have the materials they need to serve our customers without delay. The support from the State of Georgia, the Georgia Ports Authority and Murray County helped make the Southern Logistics Center a reality.”
Materials transportation efficiency
The Southern Logistics Center will improve GEA’s inbound parts and materials transportation efficiency by 30%
“We appreciate GE Appliances investing $32 million for the Southern Logistics Center and supporting the further economic development of Murray County and the State of Georgia,” said Governor Brian P. Kemp. “Their strategic view of fulfillment has led to the creation of 100 new jobs in our community. We look forward to our continued partnership.”
The Southern Logistics Center will improve GEA’s inbound parts and materials transportation efficiency by 30% and eliminate more than three million long-haul trucking miles. The center is a strategic link for the supply chain, allowing GEA to serve customers better.
Warehouse management processes
It also represents another step forward in the journey to become the pioneer appliances company in the U.S., backed by GEA’s unprecedented investments of more than half a billion dollars in the entire product supply chain, including $130 million in Georgia over the past year.
Comprehensive Logistics Co., Inc. (CLI), a third-party logistics company, operates the Southern Logistics Center under an agreement with and on behalf of GE Appliances. CLI is an innovator of material flow visibility technologies and warehouse management processes. More than 50 people are currently employed at the state-of-the-art facility, with the number expected to grow to 100 within a year.
