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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRUTH BONNEVILLE \/ FREE PRESS
\nMcKesson Canada employees Robert West (from left), Liam Pickering, LaraBee Henderson, Kristina Redmond, Cathleen Isagunde, Nicole Busch and senior vice-president marketing Tim Smith show off their trophy at the Winnipeg hub.<\/p>\n
More than 100 employees work across the centre\u2019s day-and-night operations, processing between 80,000 and 100,000 medication units daily. Last year, the centre distributed more than 21 million medication units while maintaining more than 99 per cent accuracy.<\/p>\n
The Distribution Centre of the Year recognition is \u201can amazing honour,\u201d said Robert West, director of operations at the Winnipeg facility.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re happy to have it,\u201d he said. \u201cI know the work that my team does every day, and they\u2019re putting in the work to put us in a position to win that award every year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The award is determined by performance against key performance indicators within McKesson\u2019s \u201cCulture of Excellence\u201d framework, the company said.<\/p>\n
The measures span safety, people, customers, regulatory compliance, distribution and overall success. Together, they provide an assessment of each facility\u2019s ability to operate safely, serve customers reliably, meet regulatory requirements and deliver consistent results.<\/p>\n
Tim Smith, senior vice-president of marketing and commercial operations at McKesson Canada, travelled from the company\u2019s campus in the Greater Toronto Area to present the award.<\/p>\n
Smith said, as someone who is originally from Winnipeg, he\u2019s proud to see the local centre recognized for its work.<\/p>\n
\u201cFour times in five years is pretty impressive,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you start to think about the constant and consistent delivery of adhering to regulations, safety standards, service level metrics, the 99 per cent (accuracy) \u2014 you start to really see a pattern start to develop on how well this DC (distribution centre) performs in particular.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly, under Robert\u2019s guidance here, they\u2019ve done a fantastic job and have been able to raise a number of the banners to the ceiling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Located on Haggart Avenue in the Northwest Business Park, the distribution centre opened in June 2021. It replaced a 30,000-sq.-ft. facility on Notre Dame Avenue, as well as a satellite centre that handled specialty pharmacy products \u2014 complex infusions for cancer and immunology drugs.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Around 1,400 Manitobans help build the $65-million facility, Smith said. \u201cBeing born and raised in Winnipeg, you love hearing investments of that size being put into your own backyard.\u201d<\/p>\n The investment in Winnipeg coincided with construction of another distribution centre in Edmonton that is three times the size of its Winnipeg peer. They\u2019re two of the five new distribution centres McKesson has built in the last eight years. (The company has a total of 11 distribution centres across the country.)<\/p>\n Through its various divisions, McKesson delivers one-third of all medications in Canada, making it the largest pharmaceutical distributor in the country.<\/p>\n The Winnipeg hub supports more than 1,100 hospitals, clinics and pharmacies across Manitoba, southern Saskatchewan, northwestern Ontario and Nunavut.<\/p>\n It\u2019s equipped with 3,000 sq. ft. of refrigerated storage capacity for temperature-sensitive medications and ultra-low temperature freezers for vaccine storage. All told, it carries more than 15,000 pharmaceutical products.<\/p>\n About 35 employees work the centre\u2019s day shift, while around 65 show up at 5 p.m. for the night shift. Orders arrive by 6 p.m. and employees get them ready for pick up, which starts the next morning at 7:15 a.m.<\/p>\n The facility\u2019s reach includes remote northern nursing stations in communities such as Rankin Inlet and Baker Lake in Nunavut. Some deliveries travel approximately 1,550 kilometres from Winnipeg and require a combination of ground, air and rail transportation, along with specialized temperature-control solutions to protect medications throughout the journey.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen someone picks up a prescription at a pharmacy or hospital in Manitoba or southern Saskatchewan or northwestern Ontario, there\u2019s an incredible team of Manitobans that made that a reality,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n McKesson Canada employs 4,900 people across the country. Its parent company, Texas-based McKesson Corp., has 38,000 employees in the United States.<\/p>\n In the fiscal year that ended on March 31, McKesson Corp. generated total revenue of US$403.4 billion \u2014 a 12 per cent increase over the previous year.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t For Smith, the best part about working at McKesson Canada is contributing to health care in the country.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cThat\u2019s why I joined the organization in the first place \u2014 was to really have an impact on the delivery of health care for Canadians,\u201d he said. \u201cMcKesson, given their size, their breadth, their scale, their involvement, their commitment, was an opportunity for me to be able to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, West said he enjoys working for McKesson because of the employees at the Winnipeg distribution centre.<\/p>\n \u201cI started on the floor and worked my way all the way up, so I\u2019ve worked with a lot of these people my entire 17-year career. They\u2019re my second family,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019ve built here in Winnipeg has performed really well, and it\u2019s a testament to my staff and all of their hard work and dedication. To be the leader of these people is really a privilege for me.\u201d<\/p>\n aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Aaron Epp Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. Read more about Aaron<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Aaron produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRUTH BONNEVILLE \/ FREE PRESS
\nMcKesson Canada\u2019s Winnipeg distribution centre supports more than 1,100 hospitals, clinics and pharmacies across Manitoba, southern Saskatchewan, northwestern Ontario and Nunavut. It handled more than 21 million medication units in 2025.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRUTH BONNEVILLE \/ FREE PRESS
\nTim Smith, senior vice-president of marketing and commercial operations at McKesson Canada, travelled from the company\u2019s campus in the Greater Toronto Area to present the award.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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