Designing a 500,000-Square-Foot Distribution Center for a Growing Ohio Retailer

CUSTOMER: Personal Care Retailer

Angled view of several rows of newly installed pallet rack aisles in a Central Ohio retailer warehouse.

The Challenge

A longtime Raymond Storage Concepts (RSC) lift truck customer—a central Ohio personal care retailer—was planning a new 500,000-square-foot distribution center (DC) to keep pace with the growth of its business. The facility needed to do two jobs well: hold reserve inventory efficiently and move orders out the door fast.

Getting both right, at that scale, meant the storage and order-picking systems had to be designed before a single vendor was chosen—not bolted on after.

INDUSTRY
Retail

LOCATION
Columbus, OH

SOLUTIONS USED
Warehouse Storage Solutions
Warehouse Layout Design
Project Management
System Installation

Close up of pick module blueprint from a central ohio retailer systems project.

RSC installs a pick module made of pallet racking, mezzanine platforms and stairs at a Central Ohio retailer.

View of a roller conveyor in a pick module level at an Central Ohio retailer.

The Solution

Based on the strength of the existing relationship, the retailer brought RSC's Engineered Solutions team in early to help design the new DC's storage and order-picking systems. RSC surveyed several of the retailer's existing facilities to establish a realistic budget and define exactly what the new system needed to do. That analysis shaped a layout built around two core components: a selective rack area for reserve storage and a large pick module for order picking.

The same groundwork gave the retailer what it needed to build its RFP and evaluate vendors on the criteria that mattered most:

Product benefits
Ability to hit the project timeline
Warranty
Overall value

RSC's proposal held up against that scrutiny and won the business—then backed it up with a turnkey installation:

Detailed project schedule
Full-time on-site project manager with over 30 years of industry experience
Two installation crews
Managed receiving and unloading
Regular progress meetings
Change order management
Final walk through and sign off process

The Results

The system is now a working part of the retailer's day-to-day distribution operation, supporting the growth that drove the project in the first place. RSC's Engineered Solutions team continues to partner with the retailer as its business expands.

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