The Home Depot plans to close its rapid deployment center in Braselton by the end of this year — which will eliminate approximately 300 jobs.
The Atlanta-based home improvement company opened its Braselton facility in 2008 as the first of its 19 rapid deployment centers in the U.S. However, a Home Depot spokesperson said the local center isn’t as mechanized as its other rapid deployment centers.
“That Braselton team has been exceptional, which made this incredibly tough news to deliver,” said Steve Holmes, a spokesperson for Home Depot.
Home Depot to close Braselton center
Home Depot doesn’t own the 554,200-square foot building on Ga. Hwy. 124 (Broadway Avenue), according to Jackson County tax records. The building was built as a spec warehouse several years before Home Depot moved into the facility. It is one of several large distribution centers in the area, including Havertys, Petco, Tractor Supply and Whole Foods.
Home Depot moved into the Braselton building in 2008 and the company finished its other rapid deployment centers in the nation in 2010, according to Holmes.
“That building was not built for mechanism,” he explained.
As it operates, multiple vendors deliver products to one side of the building and those items then flow through the facility to get to specific tractor-trailer trucks on the other side of the building, Holmes said. Those trucks then deliver the products to Home Depot stores.
The other 18 rapid deployment centers were exceeding Home Depot’s goals, but the Braselton facility wasn’t as mechanized to make the operation more efficient, Holmes said.
“We’re able to serve all of our U.S. stores with the more modernized centers,” he said.
Home Deport has almost 2,000 stores in the nation and the Braselton facility largely served the Southeastern U.S., Holmes said.
Still, company officials had a difficult time deciding to close the Braselton facility because its employees have done a great job, he added. Home Depot officials gave the closure news face-to-face with associates.
Home Depot is helping its Braselton employees find careers elsewhere in the company. Otherwise, it is offering an “enhanced severance package” to those affected workers, Holmes said.
That’s the second bit of local bad news from Home Depot this year. In February, the company announced that it would build a new distribution center in Henry County, dashing long-held speculation that Home Depot would buy the vacant 962,000-square-foot Rooker building in the Commerce 85 Industrial Park. Home Depot needed 1.2 million square foot and ultimately decided to build a new building rather than buy the Rooker building. The Henry County location also offered the company the ability to utilize some existing personnel, officials said.
Home Depot moved into the Braselton building in 2008 and the company finished its other rapid deployment centers in the nation in 2010, according to Holmes.
“That building was not built for mechanism,” he explained.
As it operates, multiple vendors deliver products to one side of the building and those items then flow through the facility to get to specific tractor-trailer trucks on the other side of the building, Holmes said. Those trucks then deliver the products to Home Depot stores.
The other 18 rapid deployment centers were exceeding Home Depot’s goals, but the Braselton facility wasn’t as mechanized to make the operation more efficient, Holmes said.
“We’re able to serve all of our U.S. stores with the more modernized centers,” he said.
Home Deport has almost 2,000 stores in the nation and the Braselton facility largely served the Southeastern U.S., Holmes said.
Still, company officials had a difficult time deciding to close the Braselton facility because its employees have done a great job, he added. Home Depot officials gave the closure news face-to-face with associates.
Home Depot is helping its Braselton employees find careers elsewhere in the company. Otherwise, it is offering an “enhanced severance package” to those affected workers, Holmes said.
That’s the second bit of local bad news from Home Depot this year. In February, the company announced that it would build a new distribution center in Henry County, dashing long-held speculation that Home Depot would buy the vacant 962,000-square-foot Rooker building in the Commerce 85 Industrial Park. Home Depot needed 1.2 million square foot and ultimately decided to build a new building rather than buy the Rooker building. The Henry County location also offered the company the ability to utilize some existing personnel, officials said.
I certainly would assume that Home Depot performed an in depth logistics review of all aspects related to the Braselton DC. Since a sizable portion of their sku's are foreign-sourced products, Jackson County is ideally suited to be serviced by inbound truckers from Charleston as well as The Port of Savannah. Considering the outbound factor- since Braselton serves primarily the Southeast, I-85 runs from Charlotte to Montgomery and connects with other well traveled interstate highways, which certainly is a plus for DC-store servicing. And thirdly, since Braselton had high performance, I would think that the experienced "human Capital" would lend itself to cost effective consideration to install mechanized AS/RS equipment rather than close the DC. Also since they now require 1.2 million s.f- Commerce has 962,000 s.f which could be expanded to take advantage of our logistic location and the experienced "human Capital" here in Jackson County. But that's my 2 cents, I just hate to loss 300 jobs, when we have recently had so many job creation victories.
Jim Scott
Commerce
You know HD says it was because the plant wasn't mechanized. That is a bunch of malarkey. First of all if all of there plants across the country were mechanized but the one in Georgia wasnt here in Braselton when it was opened. First off Georgia is the headquarters of HD when Bernie Marcus first opened so you would think this Braselton Plant would be mechanized wouldn't you???? Secondly I do believe it was from a fiscal standpoint that the company is still bleeding cash from no building homes not because they don't have a robot.
The reason I know is I had a mother who was planning to buy 12 hours in tutor sessions on Wednesday down to 8 sessions on Friday, and was their accountant who's pay was slashed in three days from the time I did her interview for her child to get some education. Thats a bunch of bull HD is spewing out.