Aerial view of a lumber yard in Emerson, NJ with stacked wood materials, a white warehouse, and parked vehicles.

Kuiken Brothers Doubles Down on Efficiency with Two Drive-Thru Warehouses Featuring PowerBin® and Advanced Racking Systems

Worker operating a forklift in a warehouse moving stacked drywall sheets alongside storage racks.

Spacious warehouse with tall shelves stocked with building materials and a black van parked inside under bright lighting.

The Challenge

Any business that could weather all of the economic and technological changes of the last 100 years and continue to succeed in the present day has earned admiration and respect. Kuiken Brothers Company is one of that small group. Since 1912, they've been learning, adapting, and expanding an initially humble lumberyard into a thriving commercial and residential building materials company.

Recently, Kuiken Brothers has partnered with another industry leader, CT Darnell, to continue its tradition of transformation. Together, they conducted a comprehensive analysis of the company's original Bergen County location, where they quickly identified purchase patterns and opportunities to improve their existing footprint.

Even after doubling the size of their original location, Kuiken's expansion strategy was not simply 'bigger is better.' Rather, it was 'bigger but smarter.' Kuiken's collaboration with CT Darnell on their rebuilding project focused on the most important part of any business - the customer.

The Solution

"Working with CT Darnell was like working with a partner who was as invested in the outcome of the project as we were. They truly understand the importance of our customer's experience, and they know how to work with new and existing conditions to maximize the efficiency of the space," said Matthew D. Kuiken, Vice President of Operations.

"We looked at the new property and the existing site to determine the best layout to increase storage capacity, improve flatbed and customer traffic flow and maximize operations," remarked Clint Darnell, Vice President, CT Darnell.

125,000 linear feet of covered steel racking to protect and improve access to one of the most expansive and diverse inventory portfolios in the industry.
2 spacious drive-thru warehouses offering a combined 37,000 square feet of covered space, 4 loading docks and Sunbelt Rack state-of-the-art PowerBin racking technology.
Onsite inventory covering the full scope of residential and commercial building needs, including windows & doors, specialty millwork, molding, decking, engineered wood, drywall and steel studs.

The Experience

"We developed this site with a lot of forethought and a lot of knowledge of what worked and what didn't work."

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Portrait of Douglas R. Kuiken, President of Kuiken Brothers, in a warehouse setting with shelves in background.

Douglas Kuiken

President, Kuiken Brothers Company

The reality of the business.

It's about getting in and getting out. Kuiken and CT Darnell understand that LBM is no different from any other industry in one important respect: For their customers, time truly is money. That's why they were determined to design a residential and commercial warehouse retail complex built for speed and access. With hundreds of SKUs accessible directly by car and truck, the Kuiken experience was uniquely crafted to keep their customers well stocked and help them get on their way.

"This new facility will increase our inventory and delivery capabilities to our core market, allowing for faster and more efficient product distribution for customer pick-up or jobsite delivery requests for all locations," said Matthew D. Kuiken, Vice President of Operations.

Aerial view of a warehouse with stacked wooden crates, surrounding buildings, parked cars, and nearby train tracks.

Outdoor lumber yard with stacked wood planks, trucks, forklifts, and clear blue sky on a sunny day.

Spacious warehouse aisle with organized shelves stocked with lumber and construction materials under bright lighting.

As a full-service design-build partner, CT Darnell Construction has a 40-year history supporting the LBM industry. We are the only company that specializes in LBM, with an unparalleled reputation in the category and we are licensed in all 50 states.

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