The Tillamook
County Creamery Association is growing so rapidly that it is hard
to keep up. Creamery Association Senior Vice President/COO James
McMullen says that they are "hiring just about a person a
day" and the Creamery totals were up 18% for first quarter,
this year over last.
In September, 1998 we brought you news about expansion plans at
the Creamery, located on Highway 101 on the north end of Tillamook.
Before the work on the Association's $2 million/13,000 square
foot office building was completed, work had already begun on
subsequent expansion phases. The tall square tower of the new
boiler plant can be seen sticking up behind the new warehouse
portion in the drawing to the right. Once the new boiler plant
was completed, the new warehouse followed. The automated warehouse,
called an Automated Storage and Retrieval System, is utilizing
a pallet storage system by Westfalia Technologies of Pennsylvania.
The warehouse will be 75 feet high and encompass 31,350 square
feet. The stacks will reach 12 pallets high and eight pallets
deep for a total of 15, 040 pallet rack positions. The automated
system within the structure utilizes a minimum of moving parts,
operates with standard industry pallets and takes a minimal amount
of time to install. The Storage/Retrieval system provides an inventory
management and control system based on a Windows NT operating
platform, and features multi-tasking, integrated networking and
a graphics package. The computer control system organizes the
lane allocation, stores and retrieves all pallets utilizing proprietary
throughput optimizing algorithms ....And it can all by run by
one person in a control booth!
The AS/RS warehouse is scheduled to be in operation by March,
2000 and will hold 30 million pounds of Tillamook cheese, for
a total project cost of $23 million.
The primary architect for the project, which will, according to
McMullen, "change the landscape of Tillamook," is Case,
Lowe and Hart from Ogden, Utah. The Oregon engineering team consists
of Cover Engineers, Inc from Tigard; Cundiff Engineering, Inc.
of Portland; Geo engineers of Portland; SJO Consulting Engineers
of Portland; and J.J. Henri Co. of Tualatin. Local contractors
participating include HLB Associates of Gearhart/Manzanita, Seacoast
Portables of Seaside, Tillamook People's Utility District, and
Wadsworth Electric of Astoria/Bay City,
There are approximately 100 such automated storage and retrieval
systems currently in operation in the United states. LCB
Tillamook County Creamery Assoc.
Contact: James McMullen, Sr. VP/COO
Michele Ruby, Communications Coordinator
Address: 4175 Highway 101 North
P. O. Box 313, Tillamook, OR 97141
Telephone: 503/842-4481
Fax: 503/815-1380
e-mail:MRuby@tillamookcheese.com
Hours:8a - 4:30p, M- F
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