IDC has expanded its North American distribution center at AllianceTexas by leasing the remaining 130,000 square feet in its existing building from Hillwood. The company, which primarily distributes landscape lighting products, originally leased 200,000 square feet in the 330,000 square foot Gateway 49 building in the Roanoke section of AllianceTexas in January 2005.
Over the past year IDC has experienced a 40 percent increase in its business. IDC's growth reflects the increasing amount of imports from China destined for North Texas. In 2005 the value of goods imported from China to the region climbed to $12.3 billion, an increase of 34 percent over the previous year.
The Alliance BNSF intermodal yard, which is the busiest link on the supply chain for goods -- including those bound for IDC -- shipped from China through the West Coast ports to North Texas, has experienced a 40 percent increase in cargo containers handled since 2001. At the intermodal yard, goods are off-loaded from train to truck then taken to the final destination or a nearby distribution center.
IDC is the second AllianceTexas company in the past few weeks to expand as a result of increased imports from Asia and China. Digisource, a logistics provider, recently announced an expansion of its facility at AllianceTexas to better capture that business.
"This expansion was necessary because of increased demand for our core product line Westinghouse Solar Lights, as well as the addition of new products," said John Browder, president and CEO of IDC. "One of the major reasons why IDC initially chose AllianceTexas was Hillwood's track record of working with fast-growth companies by facilitating expansion and providing an environment with lower operating costs. Hillwood has exceeded our expectations in how they handled our initial lease, the building construction and now this expansion"
Approximately 30 companies have expanded within AllianceTexas over the past decade. Most recently Motivating Graphics expanded into a 152,787-square-foot facility after initially leasing 40,536 square feet in 2003. Last year ATC Logistics & Electronics expanded by 375,000 square feet. The company now operates in 596,331 square feet after beginning in the development with 40,536 square feet in 1994.
In addition to the nearby intermodal yard, the advantages of AllianceTexas include Foreign Trade Zone, access to major freeways, proximity to Fort Worth Alliance Airport and the FedEx Sorting Hub, and a skilled labor pool.
For MORE NEWS BRIEFS, click here.
For a FREE SUBSCRIPTION to Expansion Management, click here.
Go to STATE SPOTLIGHTS to read more about other news and articles about this state.
Go to INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHTS to read more about other news and articles about this industry sector.
Means the article is accessible only to our magazine subscribers.
