2005 Productivity Convention & Expo

Sunday, October 23 - Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center
6000 W. Osceola Parkway [map]
Kissimmee, FL 34746-4414


Schedule of Sessions and Special Events



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Monday October 24, 2005

04:00 pm - 07:00 pm Publix Super Markets - Orlando Division
Facility Tours are available to Full and One-Day Monday Registrations only. Attendees may sign up for only ONE TOUR and ONE attendee per tour. Facility tours are on a space available basis, and will be confirmed on the official confirmation letter received from FMI.

Publix’s Orlando Distribution Center is 387,300 square-feet and serves 100 Super Markets in Central Florida and the east coast of Florida. Publix took over the facility from Southland Distribution in 1994. At that time, the facility serviced Dairy/Box meat and Dry Grocery products. In January 2001, the Dairy/Box meat operation was moved to a new Lakeland Facility and by May 2003, the facility began a transition to High Velocity Distribution. Late in 2005, a new 30,000 square-foot Pharmacy Distribution Center will open at the facility, which will serve Publix retail pharmacies.

The High Velocity Operation handles approximately 6,000 SKUs and delivers more than 1,500,000 cases each month. The facility employs approximately 200 associates for the 3 departments currently at the operation. The dispatch operation includes 30 drivers who deliver more than 1,600 loads each month to Publix retail stores. Garage operations consists of 15 tractors and 43 dry box trailers. The garage and maintenance departments consist of 16 associates that keep the facility and fleet operating. The facility operates 2 shifts, 7 days a week.

The facility utilizes voice-activated (Vocollect) picking for selection of product. The warehouse management system is SSA Global, which handles the monthly 1.7 million cases that are inbound to the facility.
SYSCO Food Services of Central Florida, Inc.
Facility Tours are available to Full and One-Day Monday Registrations only. Attendees may sign up for only ONE TOUR and ONE attendee per tour. Facility tours are on a space available basis, and will be confirmed on the official confirmation letter received from FMI.

Visitors to the SYSCO Central Florida distribution center will see a 346,000 square foot operation that serves approximately 4,200 customers, with a mix of about 46 percent street business and 54 percent national/bid and other types of customers. The facility stocks approximately 12,200 SKUs and runs anywhere from 750,000 to 900,000 cases through the operation in a given week, depending on the season. There are 640 associates, including office and sales personnel, who run the various functions at this facility.

SYSCO runs an air-conditioned dry warehouse in this location, which is slotted by velocity and stackability. They use double pallet jacks for selecting orders. The cooler has three temperature zones (28, 38, and 55 degrees) while the freezer has two zones, 0 degrees and –20 degrees. SYSCO Central Florida is using SYSCO’s internal WMS system, SWMS as well as the SYSCO Order Selection system (SOS). Product is slotted using a computerized Slot Info program and cases are scanned at selection using SOS. Product is received at or shipped from one of 49 doors.

The delivery fleet includes 114 tractors, five straight trucks, and 133 trailers. These are driven by a corps of 134 drivers and 12 shuttle drivers. Roadnet systems are used for routing and fleet maintenance is done on site.

SYSCO Central Florida and its associates are the proud of winners of a SYSCO company award for best overall distribution operation in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2004.