Source Logistics' Warehouse in a Box Solution to Transform Empty Space Into Fully Staffed, Operational Storage Facility: Top Supply Chain Projects Award

Customer client: Source Logistics
About the project: Traditional warehouse leasing and set-up processes are often slow, costly, and rigid, leaving companies with expensive downtime, operational inefficiencies, and nowhere to store their goods when they really need it. Even further, when natural disasters strike or other significant supply chain disruptions happen, both commercial and relief organizations may need the ability to quickly stand up new or temporary facilities to support those efforts. Oftentimes, the available locations lack reliable electricity, internet connection, and WMS or TMS connectivity. 

Key challenges include: 
 

• Delayed facility readiness: Customers often face a 60- to 90-day delay between leasing a facility and making it operational, leading to financial strain as they pay for unused space and grapple with managing inventory.
• Disaster recovery and business continuity: Companies and relief organizations experiencing natural disasters or other outages struggle to find immediate storage to maintain operations.
• Market and tariff impacts: Companies need flexible storage options to pre-position goods in response to changing tariffs or market conditions.
• Seasonal storage needs: Businesses with fluctuating inventory requirements lack cost-effective, short-term integrated warehousing solutions.
• Expansion into new markets: Businesses entering new regions require immediate, scalable warehousing before committing or scaling to permanent facilities. 

Solution: Recognizing these challenges, Source Logistics developed Warehouse in a Box (WH in a Box), a turnkey, rapidly deployable technology and service solution to transform any empty space into a fully staffed and operational storage facility in as little as 7-10 business days from contract signing. 

Implementation process: 

1. Customer qualification: Source Logistics assesses customer requirements, ensuring they align with WH in a Box specifications and capability. 

2. Contract and lease execution: Once space is assigned and license to operate in the facility is received, Source Logistics immediately initiates the setup process. 

3. Warehouse deployment: The WH in a Box unit and specially trained Source Logistics “go team” are deployed to the designated location. 

4. Technology and network setup: Source Logistics integrates the chosen warehouse with its WMS to enable seamless inventory tracking and operational management. 

5. Operational readiness in 7-10 days: Optimized for “pallet in-pallet out”-style operations, once the lease is executed and the infrastructure is in place, the facility is fully operational, allowing customers to store and manage inventory immediately. 

WH in a Box includes everything required to transform an empty space into a fully integrated warehouse in a pre-integrated package, including technology and equipment; a connected warehouse management system; integrated labeling and shipping solutions; and turnkey infrastructure. 

Results: 

Faster time to market: Customers can have a fully operational and staffed warehouse in 7-10 business days from lease execution and contract signing, compared to the typical 60-90 day setup period. 

Cost savings: Customers save thousands of dollars in facility costs by reducing downtime, mitigating product loss, and decreasing shipment delays to retailers and grocery stores 

Business continuity and risk mitigation: WH in a Box ensures supply chain resilience in the face of disruptions, protecting revenue streams. 

Scalability and flexibility: Businesses can scale up or down based on seasonal or market-driven demand without financial commitments to long-term facilities. 

For example, a food and beverage importer facing tariff-related storage challenges was able to secure immediate storage within 7 days, allowing them to pre-position inventory before tariff hikes, saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars in import costs.

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