82 Business View - November 2014
of ‘Sure, I know how to solve this problem. We did that
10 years ago.’
“But today, customers are looking for different solu-
tions. They’re looking for more automation and more
technology, integrated into their business.”
The Elite operation consists of the headquarters of-
fice in Hudson – about an hour southeast of Cleve-
land – alongside five more regional offices across the
Midwest. Combined with MH Logistics’ resources, the
entire enterprise employs more than 700, which en-
sures access to related assets as needed.
The spread for services stretches far beyond the home
base, however, and has seen Elite work on recent proj-
ects in Oregon, California, Utah, Texas and Iowa.
The undertaking in Portland involved consolidation
of distribution functions for a 120-store auto parts
chain into a single existing facility, while not interrupt-
ing workflow and not adding on to the building. The
eventual $1.2 million project featured an expansion
and relocation of existing shelving, new pallet rack
and pallet-flow rack, and an updated and expanded
conveyor system.
A combination of both new equipment and assets
transferred from the newly-closed distribution building
was used, and the critical cut-ins to the existing sys-
tem were done across three weekends, which allowed
for movement of materials and ensured the operation
would not miss a single day of shipping.
“We listened to the customer’s end goals and objec-
tives and focused on solving those in the most efficient
way,” Hennie said. “It was about problem-solving, not
trying to sell the most product.”
The target prospects with whom Elite will typically aim
to do business consist of facilities whose revenues
range between $20 million and $100 million, which
translates to sizes ranging from 50,000 to 500,000
square feet. They will include companies that are
LOGISTICS
