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Oct 07, 2023

Bishop Caussé Dedicates New Global Distribution Services Center 

Latter-day Saints around the world can now have printed copies of the Book of

Latter-day Saints around the world can now have printed copies of the Book of Mormon, manuals and other Church materials shipped to them more quickly. Bishop Gérald Caussé of the Presiding Bishopric of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated a new, state-of-the-art Global Distribution Services Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Thursday, June 8, 2023.

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"Being here is a joyful experience for all of us," said Bishop Caussé. "We are excited to dedicate a brand-new facility, one which will provide and distribute Church materials and temple clothing to Church members living around the world. It is such a magnificent structure with state-of-the-art equipment, for which we are most grateful."

About 200 Church employees and guests gathered at the distribution center on Thursday evening for the dedication.

"This place is much more than a distribution center," Bishop Caussé told the invited guests. "Thanks to you, its influence will spread throughout the entire world and will bless generations of members. It will help in the great and holy work of saving souls."

The new facility is 339,000 square feet and is in an industrial area near the Salt Lake City International Airport and the Bishops’ Central Storehouse on the city's west side. The Church has 17 smaller warehouses around the world.

"Everywhere we have a member we need to get them essential materials so they can make and keep sacred covenants. This facility ships about 75% of the Church's total volume to our members throughout the world," said Nelson Gonzalez, director of Global Distribution Services for the Church's Materials Management Department.

"Unlike the for-profit entities, where they go to a market because it makes economic sense — we don't have that luxury," Gonzalez said. "We have members throughout the world in large countries and large cities, on small islands in villages, and it's our blessing to serve them all and ensure that they get what they need to make and keep covenants."

Many of the 100 employees and seven service missionaries who work at the facility start their day early to ship Church materials to 180 countries around the world.

"We have an international shipping team that is responsible for taking care of all the compliance requirements that we have, ensuring paperwork is correct when we ship," he said.

About 40 million units or items are anticipated to be shipped from the facility every year to help meet the spiritual needs of the faith's 17 million members. The Church uses public carriers, and the boxes are shipped by air or ocean to international destinations.

Items shipped from the new facility include copies of the Book of Mormon in many languages, manuals for Church instruction, hymnbooks, sacred garments, food storage and other materials. Managers say the most popular items requested are copies of the Book of Mormon in English and Spanish.

Church publications such as the scriptures and manuals can be found online, but it is not always easy for members to access the internet from locations such as Africa and Latin America, where membership is growing.

"If you go online and you [place] an order, typically, you’ll receive that order within three to five days. In the previous facility, it may have taken seven to 10 days," said Chad Johnson, global warehouse manager.

Johnson said about 60% of the employees in the center work in the so-called picking areas to pull items from the warehouse to fulfill orders.

Up to 6,000 boxes are shipped out daily on weekdays. Boxes will be custom made to fit the number of items being shipped.

"Each machine that we have here will make 400 boxes an hour, and we have three machines," said Johnson.

"We have this box maker that makes a box to the size of the product," he explained. "So, for instance, if I have 10 items … the box will have dimensions to match those 10 items, to eliminate any air that's in that box, because air or extra space costs money to ship. If we can eliminate the air and the dunnage that goes in the box, then we save money."

Visit the Church's Online Store to place an order.