Nike Inc. on Tuesday unveiled its biggest logistics center in Asia in Jiangsu province. The new 200,000 square meter facility is on target to be the first LEED
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating
System) accredited warehouse complex in China. Construction of the
facility generated 1,800 jobs and is expected to provide up to 1,500
permanent jobs by 2015.

The 200,000 square-meter center in the city of Taicang, Jiangsu
province, is the company's first such facility in China and the sixth
worldwide, after centers in Belgium, Canada, Japan, South Korea and the
U.S.

The China Logistics Center will handle all in-bound and out-bound Nike,
Inc. products, including apparel, footwear, equipment and Nike Golf for
mainland China, according to a statement from Nike. Through the new logistics center, Nike said it is bringing
the best of its supply chain experience from around the world to ensure
even faster delivery of products to Chinese consumers.

With the use of
new and innovative technology, the center will reduce distribution time
and optimize the overall logistics process.

“I am delighted to add the China Logistics Center into our global
distribution networks with the opportunity and commitment to stay closer
to our Chinese consumers,” said Craig Cheek, vice president and general manager of Greater China for Nike Inc. “The new China Logistics Center
represents Nike China's commitment to doing business in the Greater
China geography with environmentally-conscious practices. China is
Nike's second largest, single market and we continue to drive towards
our goal of doubling our revenue here by 2015.”

Automated high efficiency facility

The China Logistic Center has many automated features with high-tech equipment that allows for more efficient operations providing higher accuracy and timeliness to market:

Nike's internally developed Warehouse Management System (WMS) directs all activities either through terminals or through light-weight radio frequency units carried by operators, some of which are voice activated allowing the operator to talk directly to the system.

Nine kilometers of conveyor belts connect every functional area of the facility so products can easily flow through the different processes

High-tech sorting equipment will make it easy to fulfill customer orders, especially large orders requiring multiple products in the same shipping carton, efficiently and accurately.

Efforts of sustainability to local communities

The China Logistics Center aims to reduce overall energy consumption and includes industry-leading features such as a highly reflective roof, energy management system, vacuum sewerage, maximized use of natural light, and many other elements that focus on reducing water and power usage wherever possible:

  • The solar heating system, lighting controls and other energy saving features should help NIKE to reduce 4,200 tons of CO2 emissions annually, while saving up to 4,400,000 Kilowatts of power.
  • The vacuum sewage system and rainwater collection system is expected to reduce water usage by 80 percent annually.
  • Fire-resistant walls, fire-resistant doors and an extensive network of sprinklers will improve fire safety by preventing fires from spreading to other parts of the facility.

“The Nike China Logistics Center has brought a series of firsts to the industry in China and is helping to re-define how large-scale facilities can operate more sustainably. From the beginning of the project, the design intent was to create a logistics center that married a high performing and efficient facility with NIKE's Global commitment to sustainability and the environment,” said Hans van Alebeek, Vice President of Global Operations and Technology for NIKE, Inc.