Medline Opens State-of-The-Art Distribution Center in Middletown, NY

500,000 square-foot-facility built with latest energy efficiency technology

Medline Industries, Inc., the nation's largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies, announced today the opening of a new state-of-the-art 500,000 square-foot distribution facility in Middletown, NY. Located 84 miles from New York City, the new facility is expected to employ 60 people on two shifts and serve hospitals, nursing homes, surgery centers and home care agencies in Upstate New York, New York City, Long Island and western Connecticut.

The environmentally friendly building is currently undergoing The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification review for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED uses a rating system that measures a building's performance in energy efficiency, CO2 emission reduction and improved indoor environmental quality both during construction as well as the daily operation of the building.

Some of the main cost efficient technologies employed at the facility include:

Motion sensors are combined with advanced high-output, energy-saving lighting to keep lights off in aisles when not in use.
Daylight sensors are used in the light fixtures to take advantage of the natural daylight introduced to the building through 280 skylights. As long as the skylights bring in sufficient light, the light fixtures stay off.
High-output T5 light fixtures (more energy efficient) and on/off sensors – there are no actual on/off switches in the warehouse – they are controlled with the motion and daylight sensors.
Super-sized fans to reduce dependence on electricity for air conditioning and heating.
Tankless hot water heaters – reduces energy when heating up water.
Recycling programs, including all corrugated boxes, office paper and fluorescent bulbs.

"Our customers in the northeast will benefit greatly from our new state-of-the art distribution center and the significant depth of inventory that we carry," said Bill Abington, Medline's President of Operations. "The building design and construction not only demonstrate Medline's commitment to our environment, but incorporates world-wide best practices in layout, technology, and distribution methods – as well as an outstanding team of professionals - to deliver our products to our customers where and when they need them."

The new facility is more than twice the size of the previous distribution center in Middletown and is designed and built to the latest building standards and distribution logistics. It features a flow-through layout (incoming deliveries are delivered at one end of the building and outgoing shipments on the other end) with 39 receiving dock doors and 31 shipping dock doors and narrow-aisle configuration, maximizing the efficiency of the facility.

The opening gives Medline a total of 34 distribution centers in the U.S., including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.