Siemens Energy & Automation Inc., Alpharetta, Ga., is supplying electrical gear for more than 300 Walgreens drugstores being built this year east of the Mississippi River. Approximately $3 million in Siemens gear will be sold through Steiner Electric, Elk Grove Village, Ill. Products include disconnect switches, panelboards, power panels and lighting control equipment.
According to Del Thornton, the Siemens account manager, Walgreens wanted the simplicity of a single supplier. "We have programs in place to work with the contractors to ensure that equipment arrives in time for installation. Their aggressive expansion plans mean Walgreens, Siemens and Steiner must work together as a team to meet all set store opening dates."
Walgreens knows a thing or two about opening stores. In its 2000 fiscal year, Walgreen Co., Deerfield, Ill., opened 462 new mostly freestanding drugstores.