The designer, developer and marketer of kitchenware for companies including KitchenAid and Cuisinart, Lifetime Brands recently upgraded its 700,000-sq.-ft. Robbinsville, NJ, distribution center to include energy-efficient conveying and sortation equipment built by Dematic to increase efficiency and achieve a substantial reduction in power consumption.

Now distributing 7,600 products nationally and handling an average volume of 425,000 cartons each month, the highly automated facility—which was formed by consolidating three manual distribution operations—has "photo eyes" on its conveyor equipment that allow the company to turn sections of the system on and off as needed, as well as selectable timers that ensure the equipment is only running at planned intervals.

In addition to optimizing energy usage, "The energy efficiencies at our New Jersey facility have helped cut our distribution operating costs," said Craig Phillips, senior VP for distribution at Lifetime Brands. "We have reduced our distribution expense, as a percentage of sales, by 3.75 percent over the past five years."