Contract logistics provider GXO Logistics Inc. has opened a massive new distribution hub in Maryland for its client Conair, the maker of small kitchen appliances and personal care and beauty products.
Located in Hagerstown, Maryland, the 2.1 million square foot facility becomes the largest single distribution center in the state of Maryland, and the largest in the nation for small appliances. It will support Connecticut-based Conair’s portfolio of brands spanning personal care and small kitchen appliances, cookware, hairbrushes & accessories, cosmetic bags and travel accessories, including brands such as Cuisinart, Conair, BaByliss, Scünci, and Waring.
The huge DC will use a range of advanced automated solutions, including dozens of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that will help increase efficiency, productivity, accuracy, and safety, GXO said. Details of the automation were not disclosed.
The site will operate with environment efficiency thanks to its location close to major consumer markets, allowing Conair to reduce its transportation miles by 60% and cut its distribution operations’ annual CO2 emissions by the equivalent of taking approximately 420 automobiles off the road for an entire year.
“We are proud to expand our partnership with Conair with a brand new facility, strategically located in the mid-Atlantic region to serve customers up and down the eastern seaboard helping fuel Conair’s future growth,” Jorge Guanter, President, Americas & Asia Pacific, GXO, said in a release. “We’re also pleased that the distribution center’s proximity to major consumer markets will eliminate 4.7 million transportation miles, reducing Conair’s CO2 emissions from distribution operations by approximately 2,100 metric tons annually.”
