A new shipping supercenter is open and ready to hire at least 200 more employees during the next year.
Pitney Bowes, a global high-tech shipping company that supports a host of clients such as QVC and Victoria’s Secret, opened a regional hub this summer on the southeast side of Greenwood. The center handles fulfillment, delivery and returns in the same location, making it the first facility of its kind for the company, and one of the first of its kind in the United States. Up until recently, the company dealt mostly in traditional mail items and worked closely with the United States Postal Service.
The company acquired Newgistics, a national distribution company, late last year. It is the first facility to be built in the 350-acre business park east of the Worthsville Road and Interstate 65 interchange in Greenwood. Amazon is considering opening a similar facility in the same area after FedEx backed out.
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The city approved a 10-year $3.3 million tax break for Newgistics, now Pitney Bowes, on both the $20 million building and $16 million in high-tech equipment.
The newly-constructed warehouse on Collins Road currently employs about 100 people who were pulled from other sites, but will eventually employ more than 300 people, 200 of which will be newly hired. That is at least 76 more people than Newgistics planned to employ initially.
Management officials hope to have a staff of about 250 by the end of the year, they announced during a ceremony on Monday to mark the official opening of the facility. Company CEO Marc Lautenbach, Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers and Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger spoke during the event.
The average pay for all jobs is $17.35 an hour, not including benefits. Most of the jobs do not require a college background or high school diploma. Company officials said they’re just looking for people who want to work for a century-old company that allows its employees room to grow. Nearly a fifth of the jobs will be in management and are expected to pay about $60,000 a year.
“More than half of our management team started in those temporary ranks. The facility manager started as a temporary associate, so we believe in promoting from within,” Vice President of Operations Christopher Cartelli said.
Pitney Bowes operates two other facilities in Indiana, one of which is in Fishers, but the one in Greenwood is the largest.
“We have a strong history with the state of Indiana, and as you think about what has made that recipe work, it’s two things: we have a wonderful partnership with the state and the postal service; but we also have had a tremendously positive experience with the men and women who work for Pitney Bowes in Indiana,” Lautenbach said.
Although the facility uses 63 robots to sort products, much of the work still requires manual labor. Jobs include forklift drivers, technology production workers and managers. On any given shift, 24,000 to 44,000 packages are fulfilled and shipped; that number can reach 110,000 on any given day.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am today to be here. I’ve been like a little kid in a candy store waiting to come in here and see what’s been done because of the stories I’ve heard about all of the automation and the stuff that you folks have been working on,” Myers said.
“We act as a community and we act as a family. Marc (Lautenbach) said one of the greatest things here is he treats his employees as a family. I grew up in a family business, so I understand what that means. It’s so important to me because it tells me that as each Pitney Bowes employee comes in every day, they are not just a number, they are a name.”
Pitney Bowes may expand the 446,400 square-foot warehouse in the future.
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Pitney Bowes, a global high-tech shipping company, has opened a new fulfillment center in Greenwood. Here is a look at some key details about the facility and what it brings to the area:
Number of jobs: 100 employees currently; will add 200 more, 150 of those by the end of 2018
Types of jobs: material handlers, forklift drivers, technology production workers, managers
Average pay: $17.35 an hour; $60,000 for managers
Size of warehouse: 446,400 square feet
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