A powerful tornado tore through Nashville in Tennessee and its surrounding counties Monday evening. Part of the damages included partner facilities working for Dell, which runs corporate offices and manages multiple fulfillment centers for the region.
The Verge reported that several of Dell's partner centers had sustained damage from the storm, while the laptop maker's own offices in Nashville remain intact.
Dell, according to The Verge, sympathized with the Nashville community and Dell team members in the area as the people begin to cope with the aftermath of the devastating storm. "While we can confirm the Dell facility in the area is intact, we're aware of Dell partner facilities that sustained visible damage, and we've reached out to offer our support."
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Multiple tech facilities also damaged; may affect Dell's workflow
Apart from Dell's facilities, anecdotal reports suggest that a couple of fulfillment centers have sustained massive damages. An informant in Nashville informed The Verge that a facility run by FedEx, which manages the employer's Custom Factory Integration services and houses Dell retail inventory, was heavily damaged by the storm.
The source additionally said the tornado damaged more than one fulfillment facilities run with the aid of Ceva Logistics. If valid, this may present a massive responsibility to Dell's supply chain and might bring a great deal of its retail extent being routed to different cities.
FedEx also sympathized with the Nashville community, according to The Verge. "The safety and well-being of our team members are our [primary] concern --- we have some reports of team member injuries related to the storm." The international logistics provider said it continues to assess facility damage and operational impact in the area.
The National Weather Service said that Mount Juliet, where several Dell's centers are located, noticed winds over 155 miles per hour.
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How Dell paved the way for Nashville's exploding tech sector
Several of Dell's corporate providers are placed in the Nashville region, and the organization works closely with nearby vendors.
Dell, while the company's jobs impact has fallen short of its target and of local government leaders' lofty expectations, has made its mark as the city's first and critical foray into the tech industry that has since thrived in Nashville, especially in recent years.
Eric Coffey, a vice president and executive site manager of the Nashville office who started with Dell in Nashville in 2001, said the computer maker is fundamentally the only significant-tech footprint in Middle Tennessee. He added tech business in the region is booming 20 years after it was established in the area.
Mayor David Briley's workplace praised the employer's contributions to the Nashville network and underscored the role the agency played in the beyond 20 years of enterprise development.
Briley's spokesperson, Thomas Mulgrew, said Dell was one of the first - if not the first - important international groups to wager on Nashville's success, bringing huge jobs and investment to the city. "They helped set the stage for what our financial system is today - a diverse, thriving region for agencies ranging from tech to manufacturing and more," he added.
