BendPak has opened its third distribution center, in Milford, Connecticut. The car lift and garage equipment manufacturer announced the new facility on Oct. 22 and said its three-hub network can now deliver in two days or less to 92% of the U.S. population.
The Milford site serves New England, the Mid-Atlantic states and parts of the Great Lakes region. BendPak's other regional hubs are in Santa Paula, California, which serves the western half of the country, and Theodore, Alabama, which now covers most of the Midwest and South. BendPak says the network brings next-day or two-day shipping to 40 states and Washington, D.C.
How the network is meant to work
The company says it is decentralizing inventory storage and using predictive stocking algorithms across all three hubs. According to BendPak, that reduces order fulfillment and shipping transit times, cuts secondary shipping emissions and limits the regional delays that can disrupt national supply chains. The release does not give the size of the Milford building, its opening date, staffing or the number of products stocked there.
Derek Burns, BendPak's director of distribution center operations for the East, described the opening as a milestone for the company.
This Northeast distribution center marks a milestone in our commitment to customer-centric growth. In addition to scaling our footprint, we're redefining what reliability looks like for our dealers and end-user customers. Reaching 92% of Americans in two days or less means our customers get what they need, when they need it, with unprecedented speed.
Derek Burns, director of distribution center operations, East, BendPak
Nine years of expansion
BendPak says it has expanded its product portfolio and geographic footprint aggressively over the last nine years. During that time it introduced brands including Autostacker, JackPak, Ergochair and APEX, along with products such as OctaFlex and AP Series two-post lifts, Mobi-EVS Series EV battery lifts and Coolee portable air coolers.
The privately held company also expanded its Santa Paula manufacturing and distribution center twice, bringing it to more than 400,000 square feet, and established a new global headquarters in Agoura Hills, California. It grew its Alabama operations from a single distribution center in Theodore into a multi-building campus. Earlier this year, BendPak completed Phase 1 of its Donald R. Henthorn Industrial Complex in Mobile County, Alabama.
President and CEO Jeff Kritzer said the Northeast move fits a longer plan.
In today's marketplace, business moves faster than ever, and BendPak is positioned to outpace it. Our Northeast expansion is just the latest step in our long-term plan to continuously refine our logistics network to optimize delivery times and best serve our customers.
Jeff Kritzer, president and CEO, BendPak
Read the original BendPak release.
