McLane Co., Inc., Temple, Texas, celebrated the opening of its new, $150 million, 417,338-square-foot grocery distribution center in Findlay, Ohio.

“Of our 80 grocery and foodservice distribution centers nationwide, the Findlay facility is the most technologically advanced, combining teammates, state-of-the-art automation, advanced robotics and artificial intelligence,” says Tony Frankenberger, president of McLane Grocery.

The McLane Findlay distribution center will employ approximately 400-500 teammates, and utilizes employees, robotics and artificial intelligence to deliver over 325,000 picks of items per day at peak operation.

The McLane Findlay distribution center will also store approximately 16,000 grocery and convenience store items representing over 700 suppliers. Robots utilize barcodes on the products to store and transfer pallets of goods, traveling up to 60 mph to fulfill orders. McLane teammates help control and program the robots, and load and organize products into bins based on the products’ final destinations. These items are then delivered to convenience stores, mass merchants, warehouse clubs and drug stores in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Pennsylvania.

“There is an outstanding culture providing a strong workforce place here in Findlay in Hancock County, and when I say strong, I mean that in the sense of commitment, respect and teamwork,” says Julie Norris, division president, McLane Grocery Distribution.