press release
Kenco Family of Companies 2010 Year in Review
01 February 2011
Kenco, one of the most respected names in the third-party logistics (3PL) industry, has released its 2010 Year End Report for the Kenco Family of Companies, including Kenco Logistic Services (KLS), JDK Real Estate, Kenco Material Handling Solutions (KMHS), and Kenco Transportation Management.
Kenco Logistic Services | KLS
In 2010, the Kenco Family of Companies not only celebrated performance-related success, but also endurance. The company was founded 60 years ago, starting with just two employees—brothers-in-law Jim Kennedy, Jr. and Sam Smartt, Sr.—at its Chickamauga Warehouse in Chattanooga, Tenn. Today, KLS can claim the following:
Growth
KLS welcomed new customers such as Hungry Fish Media, American Standard, Lozier, and Superior Jali.
It also was pleased to expand relationships with long-term customers, including Whirlpool, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Carrier, and Keurig.
In addition to significant success in its customer relationships, KLS formed Team 3 Logistics, a collaborative alliance with Schnelleke of America, LLC. Team 3 delivers logistic solutions to support automotive production in the Southeastern United States. Team 3 has been serving Volkswagen Group of America since February 2010.
Efficiency
Efficiency translates into savings, which in turn translates into growth. True to the company’s dedication to ever-improving efficiency, KLS achieved $3.5 million in annualized savings as a result of:
- nine completed lean deployments, six in progress, 632 trained associates, and 62 Kaizen Events
- project savings generated by Kenco Engineering staff in site dedicated projects
Safety
Kenco’s safety record puts it head and shoulders above other like-companies in the industry. In 2010, Kenco achieved an Incidence Rate of 2.68 and OSHA Lost Time Injury Rate of 0.52 compared to the NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) industry average of 6.0 and 1.7 respectively. As of September 13, 2010, a 690,000-square-foot Chattanooga operation, managed by KLS, had no loss-of-time accidents in 33 years.
Sustainability
Kenco’s impressive approach to sustainability has been documented in a 2010 Corporate Responsibility Report, available on its website [click here to view]. The report includes a description of what will become the largest rooftop solar array in North America, scheduled for completion early in 2011, on a facility operated by Kenco.
Recognition
In 2010, Kenco received DuPont’s 2009 Responsible Shipper Award for achieving zero recordable distribution incidents and regulatory citations for the period 1995–2009 at its Live Oak/Orange, Texas location.
JDK Real Estate | JDK
In a time when industrial real estate owners are staring at record vacancy rates, JDK Real Estate had a successful year by signing new leases on approximately 1 million square feet of its 4.2 million square-foot portfolio.
Looking forward, with over 900,000 square feet of warehouse space within 5 miles of Chattanooga’s newest industrial park—Enterprise South—JDK is well poised to capitalize on the coming construction of Volkswagen of America and Amazon.com facilities within the impressive campus.
Kenco Transportation Management
Kenco’s non-asset-based transportation division, Kenco Transportation, experienced significant growth during 2010. The transportation services division secured new clients representing over $20 million in freight management. The freight brokerage division doubled in size by partnering with multiple new clients. Together the division oversees more than $50 Million in annual freight spend.
Kenco Material Handling Solutions | Also known as Kenco Toyota-Lift (KTL)
KMHS saw significant and welcomed recovery from the 2009 economic downturn that enveloped all material handling companies. Major factors in this turn-around included:
- The continuing dedication of KMHS associates
- An agreement to handle all aspects of material handling equipment for one of the world’s foremost appliance manufacturers in six of their largest distribution centers. This “Complete Fleet Management” model resulted in 12 new full-time on-site technicians, and is projected to save the customer $2.5 million over the next five years. KMHS will continue to offer this “partnership-based” model to customers, in the coming year.
About The Kenco Family of Companies (www.kencogroup.com)
Over 60 years ago, Kenco launched its first warehouse facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Since then, the Kenco footprint has expanded to a nationwide provider of logistic services in addition to transportation, real estate management and material handling equipment. The Kenco Family of Companies includes Kenco Logistic Services, Kenco Transportation, Kenco Toyota-Lift, Kenco Management Services, and JDK Real Estate.
Come see Kenco representatives at any of the following tradeshows in 2011:
