Distribution Center Opening Supports Path Forward for Home Dialysis
Large pallets of dialysis solution are stacked several stories high, as forklifts deliver the next load of supplies to empty TruBlu delivery trucks waiting to be filled. These trucks will soon distribute product to locations across the country, including delivering peritoneal dialysis (PD) solution to the homes of people living with kidney disease.
The opening of Fresenius Medical Care’s newest distribution center in Knoxville, Tennessee is already helping support the expansion of home dialysis by ensuring a reliable, flexible product supply of PD solutions. As more people with kidney failure choose to dialyze at home, the new storage facility is part of the company's significant investment in home dialysis, helping to empower more patients in their own care.
The 611,000 square foot facility is now the company’s largest distribution center on the East Coast. In addition to ensuring a reliable supply of finished products, it provides the storage capacity needed to expand the nearby manufacturing plant that was built in 2016. The plant will manufacture the company’s new Biofine® line of products, which are thinner than PVC, and designed to be a more environmentally friendly and user-friendly product for storage and use of peritoneal solution during home dialysis treatment.
“We’re excited to open the doors of our new distribution center, growing our presence in the Knoxville community,” said April Armstrong, Senior Director, Manufacturing Operations, Knoxville Plant at Fresenius Medical Care. ”We are thrilled to ramp up production of peritoneal dialysis solution and other supplies for home and clinical dialysis, to ensure that people living with kidney disease have access to the products they need for treatment.”
The distribution center will serve multiple purposes for both the North America Supply Chain and Production Area Americas, including storing raw materials and operating as a manufacturing resupply center and quality inspection lab for the Knoxville plant. The installation of a more technologically-advanced pallet racking design system is one of the many efficient solutions that will improve productivity within a smaller operational footprint.
“This distribution center serves as an important resource for the supply chain and manufacturing facility nearby,” said Scott Lang, Senior Director of Warehouse and Distribution for Global Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply at Fresenius Medical Care. “Significant effort went toward finding innovative ways to add more storage while using a smaller footprint. It is great to expand operations in Knoxville, and we look forward to continuing to be a good neighbor in the community.”
In an effort to employ talented veterans, the Knoxville distribution center has partnered with Heroes MAKE America, an organization that builds connection between the military community and the manufacturing industry. The collaboration will allow veterans to gain meaning employment that matches their unique skillset.
