Ben E. Keith Co., Fort Worth, Texas, completed the warehouse expansion to its Oklahoma division located in Edmond, Okla. The 18-month project included a 134,000-square-foot expansion with the installation of an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) from Dematic, Grand Rapids, Mich. The three automated cranes will provide Ben E. Keith the flexibility to fulfill orders and perform warehousing functions with maximum efficiency.

Included in the expansion is the installation of an underground storm shelter and a robotic sanitation system to ensure the cleanliness of refrigerated delivery trailers. The addition also increases the total square footage of the existing warehouse, which originally opened in January 2006, to 471,724 square feet. The warehouse currently stocks over 18,000 SKUs.

"We are excited to have completed this expansion project. The additional space enhances our ability to support our growing customer base in Oklahoma, Kansas and Western Missouri. It improves our ability to provide premium choices for our customers and increases efficiencies and food safety practices throughout the operation," says Kirk Purnell, Oklahoma general manager. 

The Oklahoma division employs 480 full-time people.