Warehousing and Distribution

Acquired in 2021 and enhanced since, Zebra's mobile robot collaborative order picking solution may be sold off.

The October LMI reading came in at 57.4 (a reading above 50 indicates growth is occurring) for the second consecutive month, matching the September reading. This represents the eighth straight month the LMI has been below the all-time overall average of 61.4.

A key thesis in the report was focused on how the pairing of strong leasing and a decline in new construction held the overall quarterly vacancy rate at 6.6%, which the firm said reversed a stretch of quarterly losses that had been intact going back to the second quarter of 2022.

The September reading, at 57.4 (a reading above 50 indicates growth is occurring), trailed August’s 59.3 by 1.9%, coming in at its lowest level since March and its second-lowest this year—and it is the seventh consecutive month the LMI reading has been below the all-time overall average of 61.5.

As tariffs and trade policy continued to create uncertainty, there were indications of increased industrial real estate leasing activity in the second quarter, according to the new edition of the Industrial Business Indicator (IBI), which was recently issued by San Francisco-based real estate investment trust company Prologis.

Execs from CH Robinson, GEODIS Americas, Kenco and RXO to also speak as part of 3PL and Logistics track.

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

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.

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%.

This follows a March 2024 effort, in which Echo expanded its cross-border services in Mexico, following eight years of managing southern border shipping services.

The report, titled “2024: Market Rents Reset After Years of Performance,” found that global logistics rents fell by 5% in 2024, with the U.S. and Canada collectively down 7% and Europe down 1%.