Food Engineering logo
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • MEDIA
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Latest Headlines
  • Manufacturing News
  • People & Industry News
  • Plant Openings
  • Recalls
  • Regulatory Watch
  • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
  • New Plant Products
  • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
  • Alternative Protein
  • Automation
  • Cannabis
  • Cleaning | Sanitation
  • Fabulous Food Plants
  • Food Safety
  • Maintenance Strategies
  • OEE
  • Packaging
  • Sustainability
  • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • Plant Construction Survey
  • Plant of the Year
  • Sustainable Plant of the Year
  • State of Food Manufacturing
  • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • White Papers
  • EVENTS
  • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
  • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
  • eNewsletter
  • Custom Content & Marketing Services
  • FE Store
  • Government Links
  • Industry Associations
  • Market Research
  • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
  • eMagazine
  • Archive Issue
  • Advertise
Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
Latest headlinesPeople & Industry News

Industry News

Associated Wholesale Grocers plans distribution facility in Mississippi, supplying 3,100 stores

Associated Wholesale Grocers Mississippi Warehouse Cold Storage Construction
November 9, 2020

Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG), headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas, is the largest cooperative food wholesaler in the United States. The company, with sales of more than $10 billion, is planning and building a leading-edge, highly automated full-range logistics center in Hernando, Mississippi, together with WITRON Logistik + Informatik GmbH from Germany. The facility will supply more than 3,100 grocery stores, owned and operated by independent retailers, after a ramp-up starting in August 2023. AWG is known in the US for its private brand offerings with its Best Choice, Always Save, Clearly by Best Choice & Best Choice Superior Selections brands.

“We are pleased to be working with WITRON on the most exciting project in AWG’s history”, said David Smith, CEO of AWG. “The new automated facility will be a critical component to significantly expand variety offerings and improve system-wide distribution and logistics performance. It will enable AWG and its over 1,100 cooperative member-retailers to continue to grow for many, many years to come”, said the AWG CEO. 

55,000 different items - 460,000 pick units / day

Almost 55,000 different items will be stored and picked with the OPM (Order Picking Machinery), AIO (All-in-One-Order Fulfillment), and CPS (Car Picking System) solutions.  WITRON’s technology will be used in all temperature zones - dry assortment, fresh products, and frozen items. 

The facility, with a size of 871,900 square feet, a total of 738,000 pallet, tote, and tray locations, 92 stacker cranes, as well as 11 kilometers / 6 miles of conveyor system is designed for a pick performance of more than 460,000 units / day. 

Automated WITRON technology in all temperature zones

The new facility will have 18 fully automated COM (Case Order Machine) units installed in temperature areas of +20 to -26 degrees Celsius / +68 to -14.8 Fahrenheit to stack cases onto pallets in a store-friendly manner. Large-volume items are also picked in various temperature zones with route optimization using pick-by-voice support from the semi-automated logistics module CPS. An intelligent WITRON WMS platform controls the internal and external supply chain processes “end-to-end”. A WITRON OnSite team will be responsible for service, maintenance, and system operation, and will keep all mechanical elements, components, and material flows operating around the clock, 365 days a year.

AIO solution makes piece picking more flexible

Due to a wide range of small-volume items, AWG decided to use WITRON’s AIO system for the dry assortment - a further development of the tote picking system DPS (Dynamic Picking System), which has been successfully used for many years in food retailing logistics. 

With AIO, both fast-movers and slow-movers can be stored and picked compactly in the same logistics module. Order consolidation is automated and system-controlled in AIO. The WITRON WMS permanently controls the classification of the items depending on the order structure.  Classification changes (e.g. promotion or seasonal items) are recognized by the AIO and automatically adapted in real-time. The use of the same infrastructure (inventories, manpower, mechanics, IT, master data, etc.) is reflected in maximum flexibility and high cost-efficiency for AWG.  

“Our industry is ever-changing, and it is our mission to provide our member-retailers all of the products, services, and tools they need to compete favorably in all markets served, all at the best possible cost”, said David Smith. “We are excited to be able to significantly expand what we stock and ship to  our member stores while becoming more efficient and cost effective in our operations”, says CEO David Smith. “And, not only will our employees benefit from ergonomic work processes, the environment will benefit from a reduced number of trailers on the road due to better use of volume and space on each trailer.”

WITRON as a reliable life-time partner

“WITRON is an established and strong partner who has the necessary know-how and worldwide references to successfully implement a project in this dimension. WITRON also lives a corporate culture that fits very well with the culture of AWG and its cooperative members”, explains David Smith. “WITRON impressed us with innovative ideas, technology, and the people and values behind the company and the project.”

This article was originally posted on www.refrigeratedfrozenfood.com.
KEYWORDS: cold chain distribution grocery warehouse

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    With a CAGR of 12.07%, Bonafide Research estimates this...
    Latest headlines
  • skilled MEP worker

    Predicting Food and Beverage Manufacturing Trends for 2024

    The two words that should be kept in mind are labor and...
    Automation
    By: Derrick Teal
  • cleaning and sanitation

    The basics of cleaning and sanitation in food plants

    Sanitation maintains or restores a state of cleanliness...
    Cleaning | Sanitation
    By: Richard F. Stier
Subscribe For Free!
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Customer Service

Food Plant Openings and Expansions May 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions May 2025

OT Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Food Manufacturing Facilities

OT Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Food Manufacturing Facilities

Understanding Impacts of OT Cybersecurity Events in Food Manufacturing

Understanding Impacts of OT Cybersecurity Events in Food Manufacturing

Food Plant Openings and Expansions April 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions April 2025

More Videos

Popular Stories

FMTE Formed by Four Food Manufacturing Companies

Coalition Unites Europe’s Food Manufacturing Technologies and Equipment Sector

Kraft Heinz DeKalb Distribution Center Rendering

Kraft Heinz Upgrades U.S. Manufacturing Facilities

Sanitation worker spraying water

Fighting the Foodborne Bacteria War with Cleaning and Sanitation

CHECK OUT OUR NEW ESSENTIAL TOPICS

Alternative ProteinAutomationCleaning/SanitationFabulous Food Plants

Food SafetyMaintenance StrategiesOEE

PackagingSustainability

Events

June 17, 2025

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ State of the Cold Chain

Kelley Rodriguez, Editor in Chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, will be joined in this 60-minute webinar by industry experts to help unpack the latest research.

January 1, 2030

Webinar Sponsorship Information

For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

See More Products

Plant of the Year

Related Articles

  • HEB

    H-E-B announces plans to develop tech facility in Austin

    See More
  • Jack Link's jerky meat snacks distribution expansion Iowa

    Jack Link's to expand distribution facility in Iowa

    See More
  • Mettler Toledo plans new facility in Tampa region

    Mettler Toledo plans new facility in Tampa region

    See More
×

Elevate your expertise in food engineering with unparalleled insights and connections.

Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Food Master
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!