New Age Opening N.J. Warehouse

by Steve Smith -- TWICE, 9/7/2007

Denver — New Age Electronics, the Carson, Calif.-based distributor and service provider, visited CEDIA Expo, here, and announced it is opening its fourth warehouse in the United States to serve the Northeast corridor.

Fred Towns, senior VP of New Age Electronics, said the new warehouse is a 30,000-square-foot facility in Dayton, N.J., based halfway between New York City and Philadelphia.

Fred Towns senior VP of New Age Electronics

Towns, who spoke with TWICE during CEDIA Expo on Thursday, said the new distribution center will help New Age speed order deliveries and cut costs, while enabling it to maintain a greater quantity and assortment of consumer electronics products within the region “We know the territory — it is our old turf,” the former Panasonic executive who was based in New Jersey said. The new facility will provide retailers with the same-day, next-day and will-call delivery services required to help exceed market demands and obtain competitive advantage.

“New Age has experienced tremendous growth in the dynamic East Coast marketplace, and we are thrilled to provide smarter and more efficient service to our reseller customers throughout the region,” Towns said in a prepared statement on the opening. “Providing the highest level of customer service has been the key ingredient to our growth and success, and our new distribution center will play a direct role in providing dealers with ways to further bolster supply chain and distribution related processes, helping them save significant time and money.”

The 30,000-square-foot facility could be expanded over time if needs arise, Towns said.

The announcement dovetails New Age’s recent expansion agreement with Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. In May, New Age began directly managing relationships with Panasonic’s reseller network throughout the Metro New York, Northern New Jersey and Connecticut markets. The new facility and transportation service capabilities will enable New Age to provide these resellers with rapid access to all types of Panasonic products from a central location, including plasma and LCD televisions; Blu-ray Disc players; high-definition camcorders; digital still cameras; and other digital imaging, entertainment and communication products.

Towns also discussed several Green initiatives New Age is undertaking which include the following:

a more effective logistics management, such as the opening of the Dayton warehouse, which minimizes product handling, resulting in less fuel consumption and associated pollution, by working with its manufacturers and retail partners;
repackaging programs that New Age said increases profitability and eliminates waste with its refurbished products program;
waste-saving refurbishment program: New Age refurbishes products in need of repair recovering a great deal of original parts and accessories to reuse with finished goods. New Age said it ensures minimal waste during the process and, with new packaging and full warranty program, quality with an additional 10 percent to 15 percent in lower prices vs. new goods; and
recycling programs, based on its IT business in dealing with ink cartridges and recycling the plastic packages, recycling paper and cardboard, and separating plastics from metals for dismantled products.