The Oct. 15 ribbon-cutting ceremony for Growscape’s 750,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center ushered in efficient and cutting edge opportunities for a long-time industry in Middlefield Village.
The Oct. 15 ribbon-cutting ceremony for Growscape’s 750,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center ushered in efficient and cutting edge opportunities for a long-time industry in Middlefield Village.
The facility, on Madison Road in the industrial section of the village, recently added the warehouse on the west side of its horticultural container manufacturing plant.
The new addition will allow Growscape to relocate its leased-space warehouse divisions from Elyria and Warren to Middlefield, a more centralized operation, said Andy McElrath, site manager, during a tour Oct. 8.
The three-story structure contains rows of steel shelves that provide easy access to four levels of pallets, adding up to a capacity of 60,000 pallets when full, said Mark King, director of warehouse operations.
As of last week, about 10,000 pallets of plastic pots were stacked and wrapped on the tall racks, he said.
“We’re not hurting for space, yet,” King said during the tour.
The addition is at the end of a long, wide, enclosed corridor from the production floor.
“It’s our gateway, our connection from manufacturing to the new distribution space,” McElrath said. “Now, we don’t have to put our product on trucks.”
Middlefield Village Mayor Ben Garlich, retired site manager of Growscape’s predecessor, Dillen Products, joined the tour and admired the corridor and the efficiency it created.
“This was absolutely the right move — no more trucks,” he said during the tour.
Before the corridor was installed, pallets had to be handled four or five times compared to twice now, McElrath said.
The 400,000-square-foot production floor turns out about 260 pallets of horticultural containers per day, wrapped, stored and ready to be shipped, McElrath said, adding a 100,000-square-foot vacuum plant housing a thermoforming process to make more containers turns out more produce across state Route 87.
In the new warehouse, each of the bundled pallets, measuring four feet by four feet and seven feet tall, has a radio frequency identification tag so a forklift operator can efficiently collect the items to be shipped, he said.
The forklifts, called swing-reach trucks, are specially designed for the uncommonly very narrow aisles, McElrath said, pointing to a thin wire embedded in the concrete running the length of each aisle.
The wire sends out signals that keep the swing-reach trucks centered in each aisle. The operator on the machine activates the elevator, raising the cab and forks to collect the needed pallet or put it on the rack, McElrath explained.
At the far end of the aisles are 20 overhead doors opening to the hydraulically-leveled loading docks, he said.
Construction took about a year through a frozen winter, which delayed the erection of the precast concrete walls, but the project went fairly smoothly overall, McElrath said.
Six warehouse people are assigned to the first shift while another shift is expected to be added soon, he said.
When the operation is in full swing, McElrath expects to have 10 people on first shift and six on second shift.
The industry leader in garden and décor solutions for growers, retailers and distributors now spans approximately 1.2 million square feet, making it one of the largest manufacturing and distribution operations in Geauga County, according to a press release from Growscape.
“By housing both production and distribution under one roof, it streamlines the customer experience with fewer shipments and significantly improves order fulfillment. The design also allows for less product handling, ultimately preserving quality and enhancing customer satisfaction,” Growscape said in the release. “By eliminating the need to transfer products to off-site warehouses, the facility removes five to six full-time trucks from daily operations. This reduction equates to more than 500,000 fewer freight miles each year and an estimated 1,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions avoided annually. The result is a substantial decrease in the company’s overall carbon footprint.”
Gavin Collier, chief operating officer of Growscape, spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“At its core, this facility is about people, the customers we serve, the employees who make it possible and the community we call home,” he said. “Our expanded Middlefield campus establishes a footprint to optimize delivery and service while at the same time, allows for continued growth and expansion in support of the business. It’s a milestone we’re proud to celebrate as we look toward what’s next in improving the way we serve our customers.”
Garlich also addressed the crowd during the event.
“Today’s ribbon-cutting marks a major milestone for both Growscape and for our local community. We’re proud that Middlefield is now home to one of the largest and most advanced facilities in the region, and we look forward to the positive impact Growscape will have on our local economy and workforce.”
