Puslinch Township will soon become the hub of Maple Leaf Foods’ distribution operations for central and eastern Canada.
On March 29 the company announced its choice of Puslinch as the location for a new centre for the company’s prepared meats distribution.
The 282,000 square foot [25,380 square metre] centre will combine ambient, refrigerated and frozen products into one facility. About 80 jobs will be needed to operate the warehouse.
The site is south of Aberfoyle at the intersection of McLean Road and County Road 46 (Brock Road), across from the GO Transit bus station. The land is zone for commercial and is near the Highway 401 interchange. The centre will be built and owned by a third-party investor and leased by Maple Leaf Foods.
DB Schenker has been selected as the third-party logistics provider with responsibility for the hiring and operations of the facility.
Construction is anticipated to begin this spring with Maple Leaf operations beginning in 2013 and the site fully operational the following year.
The Puslinch location is close to Maple Leaf Foods’ eastern prepared meats facilities, including a 402,000 square foot centre currently under construction in Hamilton.
“This is another important step in the implementation of our value creation plan, details of which were announced in October 2011,” said Michael McCain, president of Maple Leaf Foods. “This new facility will simplify our distribution network and significantly increase our supply chain efficiencies.”
The company will now proceed with the appropriate regulatory approvals, with construction expected to commence this spring.
It will be commissioned in the first half of 2013, with the consolidation of its existing distribution centres in Moncton, New Brunswick, Burlington and Kitchener to be completed by 2014.
“This facility will bring significant benefits to our local economy, providing sustainable jobs and putting Puslinch Township on the map for even more investments from leading companies like Maple Leaf Foods,” said Puslinch Mayor Dennis Lever. “I am very pleased that Maple Leaf Foods has decided to make this investment in Puslinch.”
Wellington Warden Chris White added, “This announcement is fantastic News for Puslinch and the County of Wellington. The new Maple Leaf Foods distribution centre will strengthen the local economy and will let other companies know that Wellington County is a great place to do business.”
Eric Dewey, the chief executive officer of Schenker of Canada Limited, said, “We are delighted to partner with Maple Leaf Foods, one of Canada’s leading consumer packaged food companies, and play a key role in its operations.
“This significant partnership expands our existing strength in the fast-moving consumer packaged goods market, demonstrating our commitment to providing logistics expertise to market-leading companies world-wide.”
Maple Leaf Foods Inc. is a food processing company headquartered in Toronto, Canada. The company employs approximately 19,500 people at its operations across Canada and in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Asia.
