Teamwork Made the Germersheim DC Opening Possible

The successful opening of the Germersheim Distribution Center on Feb. 1, highlighted the Exchange team’s collaboration skills. Not only was the Giessen DC closing, but the Exchange had just wrapped up its busiest shopping season and stores were conducting their annual inventory. The opening ceremony also coincided with the first day the distribution center was officially shipping and receiving merchandise.

“The DC opening was conducted in two phases. Inbound containers and trailers started arriving Oct. 31. and outbound picking and shipping started Feb. 1,” Logistics Operations VP Jay McCartin said.

The distribution center boasts the Exchange’s first overseas JDA Warehouse Management System and employs approximately 150 associates.

“The Germersheim Distribution Center opened successfully primarily because of Tom Shull’s leadership and support, as well as his encouragement of cross-directorate interaction,” Chief Logistics Officer and EVP Karen Stack said. “Logistics could not have pulled this off without the help of all directorates and the Europe region.”

No matter the job, it was all hands on deck as we dug in and worked alongside our local national associates.

– Chief Logistic Operation and EVP Karen Stack

COL Karen Fleming, Logistics Deputy Director, gave an interview to military news source AFN.

“We had to collaborate to be successful,” McCartin said, “All directorates had a part to play with Project Manager Larry Rose keeping it all together and on track. If we come together as family, there is nothing we can’t accomplish.”

A few other examples of associates going above and beyond to support the effort:

• Distribution Center Manager Bryan Ed put his scheduled retirement on hold to help close the Giessen DC. “Bryan signed up to go on an extended TDY, which gave us the ability to move key people to Germersheim,” said Fulfillment Operations VP Alan French. “It’s not an easy job closing the Giessen DC, but Bryan knows the importance of this difficult task.” The leadership of Regional Distribution Manager Europe Jason Rakestraw and Distribution Center Manager II Ron Willis resulted in the successful and opening of the Germersheim DC. Many moving pieces all had to work together within a tight schedule, and through many obstacles, in order to open the GEDC on schedule.
   
• Region SVP Karin Duncan and Regional VP Jason Rosenberg ensured associates were available, even during the Europe region’s busy fourth quarter and inventory. “No request for help was denied. Everyone pitched in doing whatever possible from tossing boxes to driving a forklift. No matter the job, it was all hands on deck as we dug in and worked alongside our local national associates,” Stack said.

• Chief EIA Uli Paschke and his Gruenstadt Bakery and Water Plant teams worked closely with Logistics to create transportation synergies between their operations and Germersheim. They also set up displays highlighting their brands and supplied the cakes and refreshments for the opening ceremony. “Most people don’t know the tortillas, chips, bread, donuts and other bakery products they purchase at the commissary are produced at Gruenstadt. The team told an important story and brought awareness to our brands at the grand opening,” French said.

Grand opening attendees were able to sample products from Gruenstadt bakery and water plant.

• Chief of Employee Relations Anna Jeffries, and the Human Resources staff had the difficult task of ensuring a compassionate transition for associates at Giessen. They also partnered with the Works Council to make certain the Exchange met German standards for the workforce hired at Germersheim.

• Omni-channel and SVP Mickey Bradford and Project Director David Adams worked through many obstacles and challenges to guarantee the JDA warehouse management program was successfully installed and running, and that associates were trained before the opening. Bradford’s leadership was paramount to this goal.

• Chief of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Sandi Lute and her team worked nights, weekends and holidays to bring the Exchange corporate brand to the forefront of the distribution center.

If we come together as family, there is nothing we can’t accomplish.

– Logistics Operations VP Jay McCartin

Moving to Germersheim put the Exchange distribution center in the heart of the logistics center of excellence along with DeCA and DLA. Merchandise is closer to customers, reducing transportation costs and  ensuring Europe Exchanges receive product faster. “With the port being so close, instead of it taking more than 90 minutes to transport a container to Giessen, it takes about 5 minutes to receive it in Germersheim,” French said.

Some of the grand opening attendees toured the distribution center.

Giessen Distribution Center

The Giessen DC is scheduled to close at the end of March 2017. The distribution center opened in the 1960, making it not only an integral part of the local community, but a place of employment for generations of families. Many of the associates had worked for the Exchange for decades, following in the footsteps of parents who had retired from the center before them.

For Stack, walking the halls of the Giessen Distribution Center before the recent Germersheim grand opening was bittersweet.

“My father was stationed in Butzback, Germany, when I was a teenager, and I took a job at the Giessen Distribution Center one summer. It was my first position at the Exchange, well before I knew the Exchange would become my career,” Stack said, “It was hard watching them (local national associates) go knowing we had been a staple in the community for decades.”

“The Exchange was asked to relocate the distribution center, so we did,” McCartin said. “We tried to provide a soft landing for the associates from Giessen, but everyone’s lives and personal commitments are different.”

For more information on the opening ceremony and Gershermeim distribution center, read the Feb. 1 article.

Watch the AFN Europe video by clicking the image below.