Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty, along with United States Cold Storage (USCS) officials, on October 7 announced that the company will expand operations in Tennessee by adding a new distribution warehouse in Covington next to a Unilever ice cream plant. The public refrigerated warehouse logistics provider, which is investing $48 million and creating 63 new jobs at the site, expects the facility to be open for business in December.
“United States Cold Storage’s expansion in Covington highlights our continuing efforts to work with and promote in-state industries’ success in Tennessee,” Hagerty said. “I am extremely pleased they are growing as a result of another incumbent business, Unilever. Once Unilever finishes its current expansion plans, it will be the largest ice cream manufacturing facility in the world, furthered by the increased logistical capabilities of USCS and Tennessee’s unbeatable central location.”
“United States Cold Storage and Unilever work together across the country, and we are all very excited to expand our growing relationship at a USCS facility that embraces automation by maximizing the efficiencies of being attached to this very significant Unilever ice cream production plant,” said George Cruz, vice president and area manager for USCS.
With operations in Tennessee already on line in Smyrna and La Vergne, the new location in Covington will serve as the third party logistics provider for Unilever due to its recent expansion. The project will involve the construction of an estimated 315,000-square-foot cold storage warehouse and distribution center and the installation of new equipment and machinery.
The new facility will be situated on 23 acres of land in Rialto Industrial Park, adjacent to the Unilever complex. The two facilities will be connected by a freezer conveyor in order to quickly move finished ice cream product to the cold storage warehouse, where it will be stored at -20°F.
USCS has been providing refrigerated storage services to the food industry since 1889. The Voorhees, New Jersey-headquartered company has 35 facilities in 12 states and employs over 2,100 people. Serving as an integral part of the global food distribution and supply chain, more than 35% of all goods it handles is bound for international markets.
Woodstock, Georgia-based Primus Builders is constructing the warehouse to LEED Silver certification standards. Some of its design features include low-flow fixtures to reduce water consumption, various technology solutions that will cut energy consumption by over 30%, and reflective roofing to reduce heat in the building.
