b'6American Journal of Transportation ajot.comMicro-fulfillment: The futureAveritt opens 400,000 sq. foot distribution center near Dallasof grocery e-commerce Averitt Express has openedof Dallas/Fort Worth Interna-anewdistributionandfulfill- tional and Dallas Love Field Small warehouse facilities in population centers facilitate super- mentcenternearDallas,TX.airports,aswellasnearby quick deliveries Located less than one mile fromBNSFRailwayandUnion the companys service center inpacificRailroadintermodal By Peter Buxbaum, AJOT Grand Prairie, the facility fea- depots, the new location will tures 400,000 sq. ft of enclosedbeequippedtohandlethe The growth of e-commerceScriven,asenioranalystatimportant consumer data, and,spacetohandletheflowandgrowinginternationalship-in the United States has influ- Interact Analysis. bydeployingdata-crunch- distributionofdomesticandping needs in the region.encedthestrategiesofindus- Inaddition,Scriveningsoftware,areabletointernational freight and cargo. Inadditiontohandling trial real estate investors, whoadded, store lay-outs aredetectbuyingpatternsOur team is excited aboutcargo that moves inland from are increasingly on the lookoutdesigned for customers,and brand preferencesexpandingourpresenceandthe Port of Houston, Dallas is for smaller properties in met- notpickers,resultingand develop improvedability to serve a wider arrayamajorregionaldistribution ropolitanareas.Fulfillmentinlowerorder-pickingpersonalizedshoppingof supply chain needs in onepoint for products and materi-facilities located within pop- efficiencies. experiences.Marketof the nations busiest freightals that travel by rail and air via ulation centers allow e-com- Micro-fulfillmentresearchstudiesindicatehubs,saidWayneSpain,theWestCoast,saidSpain. merce vendors to better meetalso allows retail- that 69% of consum- AverittspresidentandchiefFromournewdistribution consumersexpectationsforerstocontrolersarelikelytooperatingofficer.Notonlycenter,wecanmovealarge quick deliveries.theshoppingshopatacom- will this vast facility increasenumber of containers back and Online grocery shopping,experience,petitor after justourserviceofferingsintheforthbetweenramps,process oneofthefastest-growingeliminatingone bad onlineregion, but it will also createandstoreinventory,andthen segmentsofe-commerce,theneedtoRueben Scriven, a senior analyst atexperience andnewjobsandhelptobetterseamlesslydistributefreight placestheneedforsmall,outsourcetheInteract Analysis 65%saytheyservethestatescriticalthrough our LTL and truckload localfulfillmentcentersinprocess to third parties. Retail- (FUTUREcontinued onsupply chain infrastructure. networks to any point through-stark relief. When it comes toers thereby retain ownership ofpage 13) Withinshortproximityout North America.groceries,consumersarent interested in same-day deliv-eries; they want to see their food arrive at their doorsteps within the hour. Online gro-cerysalesintheU.S.are expected to grow at a rate of 18% per year through 2023, accordingtoarecentreport fromthemarketresearch firm Interact Analysis.a Mazonf aCtorAmazon has invested heav-ilyinthegroceriessector,A THOUSAND DETAILS ?startingwithits2017take-overofWholeFoods,and theonlinebehemothisalso intheprocessofopeninga newgrocerychain. Amazon Fresh,targetedtoitsPrime memberslookingforlower prices,incentivizesthemto use online ordering with free two-hourdeliveriesandthe elimination of monthly fees. Amazon will be using its newstoresalongwithits WholeFoodslocationsas distributioncenterstosup-port online grocery sales. That strategyisrepresentativeof what many grocers are doing to move their inventories closer tocustomersinaneffortto minimizetransportationcosts andreducedeliverytimes. A growingnumberofcompa- WE TAKE CARE OF THAT.nies,includingAlbertsons, ShopRite, Meijer, and Stop & Shop,arealsousingmicro-fulfillment centers to do just thatand to reduce reliance on in-store fulfillment.Micro-fulfillmentcen- You have one thing on your mind. Getting your cargo where it needs to go. As a leading transportation terscanbelocatedintheand logistics provider in North America, we take care of all the details - giving you a reliable end-to-end backroomsofstores,in darkstoreswhereallorglobal supply chain solution. Small load, large load, consolidated or deconsolidated, local or worldwide - partofabrick-and-mortaryou can trust us to get it to the people who matter most - your customers.locationisconvertedinto anemployee-onlyminiful-fillmenthuborinsmall dedicatede-commercedis-tributionfacilities.Micro-fulfillmentcomeslargelyto replacein-storefulfillment, whichcausesorderpick-ers to compete with custom-ers,creatingcongestionandReach Farther.Call us today. | 1.888.668.4626 |cn.ca leavingitemsout-of-stock more frequently, said Rueben'