Itella Pennala logistics center's new C and D sections are ready and 45,000 square meters have been reserved for taking care of Rautakesko's Finnish logistics services. The rest of the new sections will be completed by June when Orimattila's Pennala area will be home to warehousing space of more than 100,000 square meters for customers of Itella Logistics. Once completed, the new logistics center will employ 200-300 professionals.
The new warehouse sections were opened on January 2 when Rautakesko centralized its warehousing functions in the completed C and D sections from several warehousing units in Greater Helsinki.
"Pennala is a prime example of what can be accomplished through a well-functioning partnership and shared goals. Teamwork is the way to best practices and smooth solutions. We have high goals for Pennala because we are going to improve the efficiency of space management and logistics in the future, too. We are happy that Pennala was completed on schedule and we are confident that future operations and solutions will also support our goals," says Olli Salmivaara, Logistics Director of Rautakesko.
According to Rautakesko, the main thing is to centralize warehousing functions into a single location for effective warehousing and better competitiveness. The contract covers Rautakesko's goods transport from the warehouses to K-rauta, Rautia, K-maatalous and K-asiakas contract stores. Attention is also paid to an environmentally sound approach.
"Pennala's excellent location in our delivery network also decreases the carbon footprint of deliveries," says Salmivaara.
The new facilities in Pennala also provide excellent resources for warehousing demanding products and goods and for handling them. Customers' material flows will be made more effective through a voice-directed picking system and automatic forklifts. The logistics center also accounts for energy and the environment. The facilities use environmentally sound technology, such as a hybrid heating system (geothermal heat and natural gas) and energy-saving wall panels which are more airtight than usual. The outdoor facilities use low-energy LED lights.
"We have cooperated closely with Kesko in designing Pennala. The outcome is an ecological solution at the focal point of Finland's logistical goods flows. In addition to warehousing services, we provide our customers in Pennala with added-value services such as product assembly, labeling and repackaging. In the spring, the B section will be completed. In this section there is space for the safe warehousing and handling of hazardous products," says Jukka Pyykkö, Director of Itella Logistics.
Itella Real Estate Oy is the owner and developer of the new logistics cente, and Itella Logistics Oy is the user.
About Pennala 2 Logistics Center
More information for the media
Jukka Pyykkö, Director, Itella Logistics, tel. +358 500 463 633
Olli Salmivaara, Logistics Director, Rautakesko, tel. +358 50 306 4130
Itella Logistics, part of Itella Group, supports and develops the business of its customer companies by providing them with service logistics solutions for road, sea and air freight, warehousing and other contract logistics. Customers may outsource an individual element of their logistics process, or even their entire supply chain, to us. Itella Logistics has operations in eight countries (Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Russia). The company provides global services through its partners. The net sales of Itella Logistics was in 2011 MEUR 732 and it employed 7,100 persons. www.itella.com/logistics
Rautakesko sells hardware, interior decoration and agricultural products ( www.rautakesko.com) and its retail chains are K-rauta, Rautia, Byggmakker, Senukai, OMA and K-maatalous. Rautakesko manages the chains, combines their purchasing power, arranges effective logistics, acquires commercial locations and ensures strong marketing and development support for the stores. Rautakesko has operations in the Nordic and Baltic countries, Russia and Belarus.
