Last month, Overstock.com became the latest major company to make Kansas City part of their distribution channel. They join the likes of Amazon, who opened a major center in KCK earlier this year, and UPS, all of whom recognize that the central location of KCK, makes it a strategic location for distribution throughout the country.
“Selecting Kansas City as the home of Overstock’s newest fulfillment center allows us to offer over 99 percent of our US customers two-day shipping options, improving shopping experiences by getting orders into the customer’s hands as soon as possible,” said Carroll Morale, Overstock.com vice president of supply chain, in a news release.
Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer, who was pleased with the announcement, piggy backed on Morale’s comments.
“Kansas offers a great central location and the best workers in the country for any company looking to relocate here. We are thrilled that a successful company such as Overstock has selected Kansas City for its latest distribution center,” Gov. Jeff Colyer said in a news release. “Opening for business in Kansas will provide Overstock.com with an excellent strategic location and creates hundreds of well-paying job opportunities for Kansans.”
Kansas City is experiencing one of the largest industrial booms in its history and is a center of choice for not only warehousing and distribution, but also manufacturing, which also benefits from the ease of distribution of its finished products.
In February Faurecia, a global leader in developing automotive seating, interior systems and clean mobility announced they were building a new $60million, 250,000-square-foot interiors production facility in the Kansas City area, increase area’s manufacturing focus, as well as its automotive focus.
A recent study by the Brookings Institute listed the KC region as the second most important automotive center in the U.S. The region is home to large-scale automotive manufacturing operations for both General Motors and Ford, which have expanded to become the region’s largest manufacturing employers.
Still, Faurecia’s decision to open in the Kansas City area was due in part to it’s location.
“Kansas City is an attractive location for manufacturers because of the region’s competitive transportation costs, reducing production expenses, as well as our skilled workforce and central U.S. location,” says Chris Gutierrez, president, KC SmartPort.
Location
Kansas City is the most centrally located major U.S. market and it is the focal point of movement and distribution of goods.
It is:
Located at the intersection of four of the nation’s major interstate highways (I-35, I-70, I-29, I-49).
The largest rail center in the U.S. by tonnage.
Located at the heart of a rail corridor spanning coast to coast across the U.S. and extending from Canada to Mexico (NAFTA Railway).
The Kansas City International Airport moves more air cargo each year than any air center in a six-state region.