Many customers store products during slow months, he said, allowing their customers to provide 120 percent inventory in daily production during peak times. We're in dire need of another 20,000 square feet. Once the addition begins, Gilbert said it should be complete within three months. The additional expansion also will allow the handling of bigger materials, he said, including forklift and crane service. While Gilbert said he is pleased with the business' 45-truck fleet, he sees the warehouse as the means for further expansion.
Land plays a role in the business' long-range total logistical management plan.
Gilbert said, in general, the trucking business should only expand. It is one of the few industries that touches everyone. Trucks with Gilbert and Sons traveled about 4 million miles in the year 2000. Although Ann Gilbert died in 1996, the business remains a family atmosphere. Randy Gilbert works as an operations manager, while Ron Gilbert handles the equipment side.