Salty snacks maker Utz Brands Inc. announced the opening of the Rice Distribution Center — a new logistics center located in the company's native Hanover, Pennsylvania.
The 650,000-square-foot center will serve as the primary hub for inventory storage, consolidation and distribution for Utz facilities located across the U.S. The center boasts 73 dock doors and 375 trailer parking spots and will utilize advanced warehouse management system functionality. It is estimated that this facility will touch 2.3 million pallets of product and 1.1 billion pounds of product per year, which amounts to an estimated 18 billion snack food servings.
The logistics center is named in honor of Michael W. Rice, the grandson of Bill and Salie Utz, who recently retired after over 50 years of service with Utz.
“Our new logistics center reflects our commitment to operational excellence and growth,” said Utz CEO Howard Friedman. “The facility expands capacity, enhances efficiency, and streamlines operations for our customers, and we are proud to honor Mike Rice’s extraordinary legacy through it. A sincere thanks to the state of Pennsylvania and our many local agencies for their help and support in bringing this vision to life in a way that alleviates traffic flow and congestion in our community.”
“It’s been an honor to be part of the Utz journey over the last 50-plus years. This new logistics center represents the company’s historic values of reinvestment, growth, hard work, and putting our customers first. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together, and I know this facility will help drive even greater success in the future,” Rice said.
