New Large Tobacco Distribution Center Established in Chinese City

A new large tobacco distribution center was established in Zigong City of southwest China's tobacco-producing Sichuan Province, in efforts to meet the rapid development of a new marketing system of the local tobacco industry. On December 19, a grand ceremony was held to inaugurate the distribution center covering a total area of 37.4 mu (2.5 hectares). The construction of the distribution center started in April 2007, with a total investment of more than 30 million yuan (4.3 million U.S. dollars). As far as its operation flow is concerned, the distribution center will realize centralized marketing, centralized processing of orders placed by clients and centralized management over the allocation and distribution of cigarette supplies. In particular, the storage operation at the distribution center is fully digitalized while the sorting operation zone in the distribution center is equipped with two semiautomatic sorting lines. The establishment of the modern distribution center signifies that the tobacco industry of Zigong has realized the establishment of a new marketing system characterized with the placement of orders by phone, online allocation of supplies, electronic settlement of accounts and modern distribution. Enditem