If you missed the plant tour at Lineage Logistics you missed a very cool tour and you can take the word both ways. The Santa Maria Manufacturers Association was the coordinator for the event and we had 40-45 people for a 7:30am start time. The thing you have to know about Santa Maria is they tend to start earlier than most SLO groups.
The building is 225,000 square feet and it is actually much larger than the footprint would indicate. I spent 16 years working in the foodservice industry so I am no stranger to this sort of facility but I must admit to being in awe of the 40 foot ceiling. Other facilities I have worked in were closer to 25 feet and that was considered state of the art in those days.
They took us through the warehouse and there is something special about walking into a room that is 100,000+ SF with minus 40 degree air. It has been a long time since I have experienced that temp and in some ways I miss it – however I quickly got over it. I suspect that more than a few people that are acclimated to the mild central coast felt this was way cool in both senses of the words. Those that showed up in shorts probably regretted that morning’s wardrobe selection.
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This is a shot of the front of the building and by this point the group had spent a few minutes in sub-zero warehouses so they were enjoying the warmth even if it was a brisk morning by local standards.
This picture of the forktrucks gives you some idea of the scale of the building. Those forklifts run up to 40 feet and weigh in at about 8,000 pounds with an average lift of 2,000. Needless to say they must have very well trained staff.
I love how they paid attention to the little details. Note in this picture that the signs are printed two ways. One is inverted so it reads properly in the mirror of the truck when they are backing up to the dock. Truck can back up and seal to the building and then open the door on inside so they do not compromise the temperature of the storage area. The facility has open dry storage at a very balmy 38 degrees and some office space so if you are looking for that sort of thing give them a call.
I do not know about everyone else but I really enjoy plant tours and would like to thank the Santa Maria Manufacturer’s Association for putting these types of events on. Santa Maria has lots of very interesting businesses and they have a warm welcome even at the very cool places.
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