Wholesale supplier F.W. Webb opens first warehouse in Pennsylvania

F.W. Webb Co., a wholesale supplier of heating, cooling and industrial products, opened its new location today in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, near Lehigh Valley International Airport.

The company converted an existing 64,000-square-foot building into its first warehouse in Pennsylvania.

The $4.5 million project at 1665 East Race St. includes a 12,000-square-foot open concept counter. It’s where contractors go to see inventory that’s available and to determine what it is that they need, said Pete Dwyer, general manager.

Contractors have the option to go through the warehouse and select items or have F.W. Webb employees retrieve them, Dwyer said. Contractors also have the option of ordering items through the company’s online service for pickup.

All products in the warehouse have barcodes, offering customers an advanced replenishment system through the company’s online ordering system, Dwyer said.

The warehouse primarily serves the residential and light commercial markets, with propane and natural gas, plumbing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration products as the main disciplines.

Dwyer said the company chose this site for several reasons, including the recent economic recovery that the nearby city of Allentown has been making.

“This is where the heart of a lot of the business outside the Philly area is happening,” Dwyer said. “We are surrounded by a lot of good competitors. The area is frequented by contractors and professionals looking to do business in this neck of the woods.”

The company has more than 80 locations in nine states in the U.S. Northeast, and its central distribution facility is in Amherst, N.H., Dwyer said. The company has 22 tractor trailers that travel 30,000 miles across the Northeast each week, restocking product at F.W. Webb’s wholesale locations.

The new warehouse offers space for a 40-person training room and invites contractors and trade organizations to participate, Dwyer added.

At its new warehouse, F.W. Webb will create a retail showroom business which operates under the brand name Frank Webb’s Bath Center. The showroom will be a resource for contractors doing remodeling projects, particularly on homes.

Construction for the 8,000-square-foot showroom will begin in 2015, Dwyer said.

By the end of 2015, the company expects to hire about 20 people once the showroom is open.

J.M. Coull Inc., based in Maynard, Mass., is the general contractor for the Lehigh County facility.

Source: LVB.com