Topic: Warehouse/DC

The April IBI Active Index reading came in at 54.4 (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth is occurring), following a 58.4 first quarter reading and 19 months in the high 50s and low 60s range. And the IBI Utilization rate headed up to 85.1, after a collective 84.6 reading over February and March.  

In this podcast, Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman interviews Melinda McLaughlin, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Research, for Prologis.

Atlanta-based Stord, provider of high-volume fulfillment services and e-commerce technology for leading brands, announced today it has completed its acquisition of Atlanta-based Ware2Go, a UPS subsidiary comprised of a nationwide network of certified warehouses and technology to streamline fulfillment across sales channels, and a flexible business model that eliminates long-term contracts and order minimums. 

Along with acquiring Drexel’s 3PL business, Kenco said this acquisition also includes Drexel’s four London, Ontario-area physical locations—which are equidistant from Toronto, Detroit, and Buffalo and operate as multi-client distribution spaces in a campus-like environment, and enable Drexel’s resource sharing and more flexible operations, coupled with 100 Drexel associates becoming Kenco employees.

Stephanie Rodriguez, National Director of Industrial Services at Colliers, shares how she’s helping clients make smart decisions in what she calls a VUCA era—short for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.

Download this guide from Penske to help you evaluate different options with the goal of optimizing your warehouse performance and efficiency.

DHL Supply Chain described this deal as a strategic move to further enhance its e-commerce capabilities, as well as extend its services to small and midsized customers. IDS Fulfillment brings more than 1.3 million square-feet of multi-customer warehouse and distribution space throughout the U.S.

The companies said that through this agreement Blue Yonder will become one of GXO’s preferred off-the-shelf software solution providers for warehouse management systems (WMS).

The April Services PMI, at 51.6 (a reading of 50 or higher signals growth) increased 0.8% over March, growing, at a faster rate, for the 10th consecutive month, and for the 56th time in the last 59 months, going back to the initial recovery from the pandemic in June 2020. It was 1.0% below the 12-month average of 52.6, with October 2024’s 55.8 and June 2024’s 49.2 marking the respective high and low readings over that period.

The report’s benchmark reading, the PMI, came in at 48.7 (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth), down 0.3% from March’s 49.0 reading. The last two months of declines were preceded by gains, with January and February readings at 50.9 and 50.3, respectively.

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The research, entitled, “More Occupiers Opting to Buy Industrial Facilities,” pointed to various data points as keys resulting in the increasing sales of industrial facilities.

The report, entitled “North American Big Box Industrial Overview,” observed that going back to 2020, the largest North American markets for big box industrial space—which includes modern distribution and warehouse buildings that are 200,000 square-feet or more and with ceiling heights at least 28 feet clear—have added what it called an unprecedented 1.3 billion SF (square-feet) of new supply, expanding the big-box market rate by nearly 50%.

GNC's labor-intensive inventory counting process once relied on teams navigating 450,000 square feet of warehouse space with materials handling equipment. Now, drones are streamlining cycle counts, reducing resource constraints, and improving efficiency across its distribution centers.

The company is focusing on cold storage, temperature-controlled delivery, and faster service worldwide.

The March Services PMI, at 50.8 (a reading of 50 or higher signals growth) fell 2.7% compared to February, growing, at a slower rate, for the ninth consecutive month, and for the 55th time in the last 58 months, going back to the initial recovery from the pandemic in June 2020.

The report’s benchmark reading, the PMI, came in at 49 (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth), down 1.3% from February’s 50.3 reading. January’s PMI, at 50.9, represented the first growth month, after a 26-month run of contraction.

A number of declining data points addressing logistics sector growth patterns, driven by ongoing tariff-driven uncertainty, was apparent in the March 2025 edition of the Logistics Manager’s Index (LMI), which was released this week.

The report, entitled “The E-Commerce Boom Isn’t Over: Implications for Logistics Real Estate,” examines how more than five years after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent re-opening of the economy, recent consumer behavior is showing a return to value, convenience, and choice, while examining retailers, supply chains, and logistics real estate, as it relates to e-commerce going forward.

Despite the slowdown, long-term demand stays strong—driven by automation, energy efficiency, and changing food trends.