Hanson Logistics plans to expand its temperature-controlled freight consolidation center for the Chicago area, located in Hobart, Ind. Hanson said the second phase of expansion is a response to growth of its Velocities Multi-Vendor Consolidation program, launched in 2008. Plans call for the company to break ground on the expansion project in March, 2010, with opening slated for the following July. The project will result in new office areas and some 2.5 million cubic feet of warehousing space. It will add more short-term storage, 7,800 pallet positions, and staging and dock space for frozen and refrigerated foods. Hanson's flagship Chicago Consolidation Center is a three-phase, 14.5-million-cubic-foot facility, now in its third full year of operation. The complex is designed for high-volume throughput, including flexible racking for quick-pick consolidation and cross-docking of temperature-controlled food products. From that point, Hanson Transportation Management Services provides inbound, shuttle and national truckload services, as well as Velocities Multi-Vendor Consolidation. Velocities delivers scheduled shared truckloads to major retail, wholesale and food-service distribution centers throughout the U.S. Hanson has a total of nine refrigerated warehouse facilities, totaling 38 million cubic feet of space for deep frozen, refrigerated and dry products.

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