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Kraft Heinz Unveils Plan for Massive Automated Distribution Facility in Northern Illinois

July 13, 2023

The 775,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility is expected to open in DeKalb, Ill., in 2025 and drive twice the volume for Kraft Heinz customers.

Andy Hanacek

The Kraft Heinz Co. has announced it will invest more than $400 million to construct what it is calling one of the largest automated consumer packaged goods (CPG) distribution centers in North America, according to a release distributed today by the company.

The 775,000-square-foot facility will be located in DeKalb, Ill., some 65 miles west of downtown Chicago, with national railway access and state-of-the-art automation technology including a 24/7 automated storage and retrieval system and eco-friendly technology that will help drive sustainability initiatives to meet Kraft Heinz’s ESG goals and reduce its environmental impact.

Kraft Heinz anticipates the new facility will be able to drive twice the volume for its customers, distributing more than 60 percent of the company’s foodservice business and approximately 30 percent of all dry goods.

The facility is expected to create more than 150 jobs and open in 2025.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.