Saddle Creek Corp., a nationwide third-party logistics provider (3PL), has opened a West Coast distribution center for Riviana Foods Inc. and New World Pasta Company, the North American subsidiaries of Spanish food group Ebro Puleva. The DC initially will occupy nearly half of a 432,000-square-foot, shared-space facility in Ontario, Calif. The new facility will enable Riviana and New World Pasta to consolidate multiple California operations into a single, optimum site.
The site, approximately 40 miles east of Los Angeles, was chosen based on the results of a network optimization study and site selection process conducted by Saddle Creek and Ebro. Available shared-space facilities that met the companies’ requirements for location, size, yard space, truck doors, rail service and capacity for growth were identified and evaluated. Site selection and development are part of the integrated logistics services that make Saddle Creek unique.
“A shared-space environment was important to us because it allows us to control operational costs while giving us the greatest flexibility to accommodate growth and give our customers great service,” explains Joseph Marelli, vice president, logistics, for Ebro North America. “We’ve seen the benefits of this environment firsthand in our Lakeland, Fla., facility,” which is also operated by. Saddle Creek.
The transition to the new site is expected to be completed this month. Saddle Creek will provide both warehousing and transportation services at the facility.
