Consolidation of university stores and storeroom under way

 

 

PULLMAN — The new University Stores facilities won’t be open to the public until later this fall, probably sometime in November, but the consolidation of Central Stores and the Facilities Operations Storeroom are well underway.

 

“Our goal is to provide materials quickly and at a reasonable price so that maintenance, construction and research can continue at WSU,” said Jeff Gossard, director of WSU Supply Management Services.

 

In the past, Central Stores focused on providing supplies for most college departments and administrative units, while the Facilities Operations Storeroom handled supplies and equipment for maintenance, construction and repair projects.

 

The existing storeroom for Facilities Operations — where they store everything from toilet paper to plumbing and electrical supplies to machine parts — is in the McCluskey Building at the corner of Grimes Way and Dairy Road. The new University Stores facility will be located further south on Dairy Road, near Central Receiving.

 

“This consolidation puts all Supply Management Services units in one area,” Gossard said. “It will make it so much easier to manage the supply chain.”

 

According to Gossard, the move will allow for a more efficient operation, including more strategic contract purchasing for all goods and materials. With all three warehouses located in close proximity, he said, it will be easier to monitor and track bulk orders and stock inventory. By doing deliveries from one location, he said, it will be easier to combine routes and provide more efficient service to college departments and job sites.

 

All items and materials ordered by University Stores will be delivered by University Stores personnel directly to departments and job sites, free of charge, Gossard said.

 

Central Receiving will continue to function as it does currently, and provide free receiving and delivery service for all items that are shipped to campus via various commercial carriers, FedEx and UPS. 

 

Gossard said Central Receiving remains critical to WSU campus because it reduces the amount of vehicular traffic on campus and gives carriers a single, controlled location where they can offload goods and materials. 

 

For now, Central Stores continues to operate from the  65-year-old Quonset hut behind L.J. Smith Hall off Grimes Way and the Facilities Operations Storeroom continues to operate from the McCluskey services building.