ROANOKE, Texas — American Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD) has opened a 756,000-sq.-ft. mixing center, the tire supplier's fourth such facility in the nation.
ATD marked the milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the center, located near the Dallas-Fort Worth area, on May 16. The facility will serve as ATD's hub for the southern region, handling international imports and servicing more than 32 distribution centers throughout the southwest.
The ATD Alliance Regional Mixing Center will create more than 70 jobs. It is part of an 18,000-acre, mixed-use AllianceTexas development managed by Hillwood Properties.
"The Alliance Regional Mixing Center rounds out our existing presence on the East and West coasts and in the Midwest," said David Dickey, chief supply chain officer. "It enhances our customer service by enabling us to deliver tires in two days or less to 88 percent of our distribution centers.
Among those who attended the ceremony were Stuart Schuette, CEO of ATD, and Roanoke Mayor Carl "Scooter" Gierisch. ATD donated 10 Hercules high performance tires to the Roanoke Fire Department for one of its ladder trucks during the event. Representatives of the fire department attended with the ladder truck to accept the donation.
Attendees also took tours of the mixing center.
"This ability to combine and expedite inventory to distribution centers affords customers the best possible selection of products for sale and service," Dick said. "The facility also increases our network capacity to support our growth initiatives."
According to ATD, the Alliance Regional Mixing Center will replenish tires for 32 of the company's 140 distribution centers throughout the U.S. and Canada. The Alliance Regional Mixing Center has the capacity to hold almost 1 million tires.
Huntersville, N.C.-based ATD said the mixing center was renovated to maximize the employee experience and to leverage its storage capacity. The facility has state-of-the-art break rooms and a locker room with showers. Posters and banners, hanging throughout the center, display employee photos and memorable messaging, which ATD said fosters safety and instills a sense of pride among the team.
ATD said the location is ideal because of the access to land and rail transportation, as well as a competitive tax structure in Roanoke and Denton County.
The Alliance Regional Mixing Center is the first to be located within a U.S. Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ), enabling ATD to contain costs to only the inventory being removed and shipped to its U.S. distribution centers and making it a cost-efficient option.
Across the U.S., ATD has more than 10 million square feet of inventory space with a network of sales specialists, a technology platform, state-of-the-art logistics and several marketing support programs.
ATD operates more than 140 distribution centers, serving approximately 70,000 customers across the North America.