Warehousing and logistics

Challenge: Global e-commerce sales have surged from $3.35 trillion from 2019 to an expected $5.4 trillion in 2022, putting e-commerce merchants under unprecedented pressure to address customers’ growing demands for fast and frictionless delivery. In fact, 42% of online shoppers have abandoned their shopping carts because of lengthy delivery dates, and more than 40% of shoppers expect an option for 2–3 day delivery.

Speed and accuracy are critical to the success of any e-commerce company, and continuously evolving expectations can make it difficult to ensure customer satisfaction while navigating organizational growth.

Solution: With dedicated warehouse and fulfillment centers located throughout the United States and Canada, our fulfillment services can support your localized or nationwide e-commerce strategy. We’ll partner with you to customize a solution that ensures your customer deliveries are accurate, on-time, and within your budget. And because we have facilities located in multiple major markets, we’ll continue to support ongoing organizational growth as you expand into new markets and add new products.

Challenge: The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have sparked a lot of talk about supply chain resilience. To prevent supply shortages, many retailers are doubling up on suppliers, sourcing closer to home, strengthening inventory levels, and investing in their own logistics networks, all of which can come at the expense of higher costs that are eventually passed on to end customers. Some retailers have even overestimated inventory needs and have become stuck with excess inventory that must be stored long-term or marked-down for quick sale.

It can often be difficult for retailers to match available warehouse space with constantly changing demand, which can lead to surplus or shortage.

Challenge: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic exposed various weaknesses in our preparedness for unexpected emergencies. As many large manufacturers shut down or stopped exporting goods, stocks of critical supplies and equipment quickly ran out. Although necessary, items such as masks, gloves, shields, goggles, and ventilators were scarce, which prevented many healthcare organizations from fully supporting patient needs.

These issues are not exclusively associated with global pandemics. Emergency events or natural disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, or even terrorist attacks can cause unprecedented and unanticipated immediate needs for emergency supplies. Often, the nature of the emergency can make it difficult or even impossible to transport resources from other areas, and issues like theft or price gouging can occur. Furthermore, many healthcare facilities don’t have excess space or it can be too cost-inhibitive to store these supplies onsite.

Solution: Iron Mountain warehousing and logistics can store and deliver your emergency response equipment and supplies so that you can access them in the event of a disaster or medical emergency. Our secure network of facilities located throughout North America will ensure a fast and seamless response, helping you focus on patient care during an emergency. We have the ability to store, manage, kit, and deliver:

• Medical supplies (masks, gowns, face shields, etc.)
• Medical equipment (wheelchairs, IV poles and supplies, respirators, etc.)
• Non-hazardous test kits, common medication, and first-responder equipment (first-aid kits, canned goods, flashlights, shelters, etc.)

Challenge: Ongoing uncertainty and disruptions are forcing organizations to reevaluate and rethink their manufacturing footprint strategies. Many organizations are focused on building or expanding facilities closer to end users, with a recent survey showing around 83% of North American manufacturers likely to reshore production (Thomas Survey).

This shift to localization can cause challenges for the logistics function, especially as the manufacturing strategy continues to evolve. Fixed product distribution networks can be costly and take time to build out, and it may not be feasible to maintain in-house warehouse and labor assets in all localized markets.

Solution: Iron Mountain warehousing and logistics can support your evolving manufacturing footprint strategy by supplementing your product distribution network with local warehousing, labor, and transportation resources. With facilities located throughout North America and a flexible approach to service agreements, our services provide the support that you need to build an agile product distribution strategy.