Visitors entering the expansive 1.8-million-square-foot McCormick & Co. logistics center, located southeast of Baltimore, are immediately greeted by the inviting aroma of cumin, cinnamon, and various spices. Employees navigate the vast complex in golf carts, mingling with self-driving forklifts that pick up pallets of assorted products for later assembly into customer orders. This half-mile-long facility, equivalent to 23 soccer fields, accounts for 40% of McCormick’s distribution in the U.S., ensuring that products reach four in ten Americans within a day. McCormick describes its investment in this center as “significant,” as it aims to create a “supply chain of the future,” enhancing the efficiency of its operations in spices and flavorings.
Although the new facility replaces nine previous buildings and is only 400,000 square feet larger, it features 14-foot-tall shelves arranged three feet closer together, optimizing space utilization. The impetus for this significant expansion began about four years ago, following McCormick’s acquisition of Reckitt Benckiser’s Food Division in 2017 for $4.2 billion, which brought brands like French’s mustard and Frank’s RedHot into the fold, and the $800 million purchase of hot-sauce maker Cholula three years later. This increased volume further pressured McCormick, which was already benefiting from the rising consumer demand for diverse flavors and healthier food options.
“We were starting to burst at the seams,” said Varsha Patel, engineering director at the McCormick Logistics Center. “As we added more buildings, costs became a concern, and we realized we needed to improve our customer service, which had become quite chaotic.” Previously, McCormick had to shuttle between multiple locations to fulfill orders—picking up Frank’s from one site, Stubb’s BBQ Sauce from another, and pepper from yet another. Now, by consolidating operations under one roof, the company estimates it saves 150,000 miles annually, reducing fuel costs and environmental impact, while also minimizing the movement of pallets and cases of products by 28 million touches each year.
Located on the former Bethlehem Steel site, the logistics center offers numerous advantages that contribute to McCormick’s bottom line and enhance its customer service capabilities. With reduced driving distances and lower leasing expenses, McCormick now has more room to purchase and store ingredients or packaging materials until needed at nearby facilities where products are manufactured—an especially valuable option in light of recent supply chain disruptions.
During a visit to the logistics center in October, large containers of pepper, cinnamon, and cumin, along with drums of vanilla, were visible, ready for deployment. The additional space and efficient storage design enable McCormick to maintain surplus stock to accommodate seasonal demand spikes or unexpected supply interruptions. Furthermore, if a production facility needs to upgrade equipment, it becomes less risky for McCormick to pause operations, knowing that sufficient stock is available at the logistics center.
Recently, dozens of pallets of French’s mustard were prepared for shipping while construction occurred at a French’s facility in Missouri. Previously, the smaller facility would package and store mustard as space allowed; now, they rely on the logistics center. “We’ve become everyone’s best friend,” Patel noted, who previously managed the logistics center project. “This is the flagship and mothership for McCormick Logistics Center. We are truly a logistical hub, solving many more challenges beyond just distribution.”
The center features 244 truck bays, allowing for efficient loading and minimizing idle time for truck drivers, which helps ensure timely deliveries. This efficiency fosters goodwill among truckers who are in high demand from various businesses. Inside the facility, McCormick can prepare orders up to 24 hours in advance, enabling immediate loading upon truck arrival—often within just 90 minutes.
The logistics center plays a vital role in McCormick’s initiative to reduce its environmental footprint. The Maryland-based company has committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Employees dismantling store displays work alongside a conveyor belt to deposit cardboard for recycling. McCormick is also piloting a program to rebuild unusable wooden pallets, which can be a costly expense, and plans to install solar panels on the white-painted roof in the coming years.
The facility is designed for future expansion, with central areas that could accommodate additional shelving or storage for raw materials, including calcium citrate salt, to meet increasing demand. McCormick has set aside 50,000 square feet of vacant space on the second floor to prepare for anticipated growth in e-commerce shipments. “We have future-proofed for growth,” Patel affirmed. “As our customers expand, we must keep pace.”