HD opens first of three DFCs

The Home Depot opened its new direct fulfillment center (DFC) in Locust Grove, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta.

The facility is the first of three new DFCs the company will open across the U.S. over the next two years. The new distribution centers will increase the number of orders the company can ship the day they are received, increasing the speed of delivery for HomeDepot.com orders. The company also said they will enable faster order picking and shipping through new warehouse management and material handling systems.

"This is a significant investment in our ability to say yes to customers with confidence," said Mark Holifield, senior vice president – Supply Chain. "Yes, you have access to our entire inventory to fulfill your order. Yes, you can expect a speedy delivery. And yes, you can rely on information updates about your delivery."

The DFCs will stock approximately 100,000 products, compared to about 35,000 products at a typical physical store.  The Locust Grove DFC will have approximately 125 employees, and will eventually employ approximately 300 people. Future DFCs are scheduled to open in Perris, Calif. and Troy, Ohio.

When all three are rolled out, the new DFCs will add more than three million square feet and approximately 1,000 jobs to the retailer's supply chain.