Koerner Distributor recently finished a relocation and expansion project of their new distribution and office complex. They moved from their 100,000 square foot location on Wabash Avenue to a 186,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility located at the corner of South Raney Street and Pike Avenue.
Koerner Distributor has been in business since 1982 and has successfully grown to include a service area of 60 of the 102 Illinois counties. Their growth started with their first acquisition in 1984 leading to 31 more acquisitions The company's most recent acquisition being Orange and Blue in Champaign.
The expansion plan began two and a half years ago when Koerner Distributor hired a consultant to determine the best location for their operations along with plans on how the building should be laid out to get the optimal results. Luckily, the place Koerner Distributor calls home proved to be an outstanding location and building construction began. Koerner Distributor will be moving their operations and inventories from Carterville and Champaign, while still leaving drop sites in those locations, along with New Baden.
With the expansion into their entirely temperature controlled 186,000 square feet warehouse space, Koerner Distributor has also updated their technology and increased efficiency with an upgraded computer system and voice pick and walkie rider technology. Operations have increased from 150 cases picked per hour to 300 cases picked per hour. The company also purchased a new fleet of trucks to run on their newly optimized routes. The new Koerner Distributor Facility is now open in Effingham and is home to 230 full-time equivalent jobs.
