NOW, independent manufacturer of natural products in the U.S. health food store channel, has opened a new 200,000 square-foot distribution facility in Roselle, IL.

This is the third U.S.-based operations facility for the family-owned company, in addition to its existing manufacturing facilities in Bloomingdale, IL and in Sparks, NV, and will support increased volume and efficiency needed for the company’s long-term growth and expansion.

Continuing NOW’s track record of investing in state-of-the-art, industry-leading capabilities, the facility, which the company purchased in 2015, includes:

• Best-in-class Pick-to-Voice System that allows for improved lot validation and cartonization, enabling NOW to better inform both customers and sales team members of carton and case pack quantities.
• A three-story-high, high-velocity picking module designed to drive higher order output and is scalable for future growth. NOW’s previous picking area was only two stories high, and 50,000 square feet.
• A special dock area exclusively for large-quantity truck orders to improve efficiency and order turnaround times.
• New, state-of-the-art LED lighting system that works through motion detection, helping conserve energy. This new lighting is also more natural and helps to reduce eye strain for order picking staff.
• Huge refrigerator expansion that can store up to 800 pallets of refrigerated materials.
• New freezer that can store up to 200 pallets of materials.
• Special pack-out area designed to significantly increase packing efficiencies.

Running three shifts five-plus days a week, this facility alone employs approximately 130 people. Moving the order fulfillment and distribution to Roselle will allow NOW to expand manufacturing operations in the Bloomingdale facility over the next few years.

“We are constantly working to serve our retailer customers better while accommodating sustained growth, and this facility does both,” said NOW CEO Jim Emme. “We’ve incorporated advanced technology with environmental efficiencies, and emphasis on worker safety and well being. We are pleased with the result.”

NOW, which will celebrate its 50-year anniversary in 2018, has experienced year-over-year growth for the past 31 years. The company currently manufactures more than 1,400 products, from dietary supplements and functional foods to sports nutrition and health and beauty/essential oils.  For the past nine years, NOW has been recognized as one of Chicago’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For by the National Association of Business Resources, and has been recognized at the national level for the last four years.

For more information, visit www.nowfoods.com.