Macy’s Celebrates Massive Automated Facility in N.C.
CHINA GROVE — Corporate executives joined local dignitaries in China Grove on Thursday to celebrate the grand opening of the Macy’s, Inc. distribution facility on Hwy. 152.
Macy’s newest customer fulfillment and store replenishment center is a highly automated, state-of-the-art facility and the company’s largest and most advanced. The 2.1 million square-foot facility represents a major milestone in the company’s supply chain modernization efforts, designed to improve delivery speed and efficiency for millions of customers.
For China Grove, it represents a major economic engine and a marquee moment in the town’s growth and trajectory.
“Today marks an inflection point in our history and future,” Mayor Rodney Phillips said. “Macy’s being here transforms us in three ways. They are transforming our people, transforming our community and transforming partnerships.”
Phillips added, “I have no doubt that we will be wildly successful.”
Rowan County Board of Commissioners Chair Greg Edds remarked what a “tremendous day” it was for China Grove the county as a whole.
This facility represents hope, opportunity and progress,” Edds said. “It brings with it a tremendous number of well-paying jobs that will help transform lives and provide stability for families throughout our region.
“These are meaningful careers — jobs that offer growth, benefits and a pathway to a better tomorrow for our people, and for their children.”
He also pointed to indirect economic benefits of having such a large workforce and project now homed in China Grove.
“Beyond these direct roles, the center also creates a lot of incidental jobs from the construction crews who built this marvel to the local businesses that will thrive thanks to increased economic activity and demand,” he said. “The economic ripple effect will be felt immediately and for years to come.
” Rowan Economic Development Council Director Rod Crider lauded Macy’s decision to open a facility of this size in China Grove. “They chose our people, our location, our work ethic and our spirit.
They committed more than $650 million in capital investment and over 1,400 new jobs — the single largest in our county’s history — and in doing so, to make our community stronger and more resilient,” he said.
Macy’s contributions extend beyond simply the facility and its construction.
“Macy’s has shown that their commitment goes beyond concrete and steel,” Crider said. “Even before the doors officially opened, their team members were out in the community — cleaning up local Little League fields, feeding the hungry and lending a hand wherever it was needed most. That tells us everything we need to know about the kind of neighbor Macy’s intends to be and reminds us of how fortunate we are to have them choose Rowan County for this new facility.”
A release from Macy’s noted how outreach into the community was important, pointing to the company’s committed $250,000 to support local organizations and programs.
“As part of that commitment, Macy’s, Inc. is leading the development of an automation training lab at the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, giving students hands-on access to the same technology used in the new facility,” the release said. “The lab will help prepare the next generation of talent and reflects Macy’s continued investment in people and skills that power progress.”
Speaking on Thursday, Senior Director and Facility Leader Alisa Stone said, “The technology in this building is amazing. The day I arrived and actually saw it, I felt like a kid in a candy store.”
Despite the state-of-the-art facility’s technology, Stone insists that the lifeblood of Macy’s distribution center is something else.
“When we evaluate what is really important, it is not the technology,” Stone said. “We love it and it is going to make us efficient as an organization but it is really about the people.”
For Stone, the facility also represents a personal chapter change in her life.
“I am proud to say that I chose China Grove as my home as well as the place that I work,” she said.
Tour the future home of Macy's Inc. in Rowan County, North Carolina!
The facility
That release from Macy’s also indicated that “Outfitted with the latest automation solutions, it is the company’s largest and most technologically advanced facility to date. As Macy’s, Inc. continues to enhance its supply chain network, the new omnichannel facility represents a meaningful milestone in the third pillar of the company’s Bold New Chapter strategy to simplify and modernize end-to-end operations to benefit its customers.” Sean Barbour, senior vice president of supply chain operations, discussed how scalable operations will enable continued growth for the site. “Over the past two years, we’ve tested and learned from automation at other sites, refining how it can make our operations more efficient and our colleagues work safer and smarter,” Barbour said. “Now, we’re building on those lessons with our most advanced deployment yet including the debut of a new warehouse management system that will provide greater accuracy, flexibility and speed. We’re proud to celebrate this milestone while continuing to modernize and strengthen our supply chain across the network.”
The release noted that by being positioned in the Southeast, the facility expands Macy’s, Inc.’s reach, “enabling faster, more efficient service for millions of customers,” and that “by supporting all product categories — from apparel and beauty to home and toys — more orders can be shipped from a single location.”
Faster deliveries and fresh finds in-store
“Equipped with state-of-the-art automation and an advanced warehouse management system, the facility has the largest storage capacity and is designed to deliver the highest productivity and throughput potential in the company’s network,” the release said.
Tom Edwards, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Macy’s, Inc. added, “The opening of our China Grove facility is a significant step in modernizing our supply chain and elevating the customer experience across every channel – with faster deliveries, well-stocked stores and seamless service. With this investment, we’re building a faster, more efficient and agile network designed to meet our customers’ needs today and in the future.”
The offer builds on Amazon fulfillment service for merchants on other sales channels, including eBay, Etsy, Temu and TikTok Shop.