There’s been a lot of talk about climate-controlled warehouse space here at Kanban – both on our blog and in our facilities. And, we’re backing up that talk with actions that will benefit our customers. We’re putting the finishing touches on the addition of 50,000 square feet of climate-controlled space to our Rocky Mount, NC warehouse. This will make all 120,000 sq ft in Rocky Mount temperature-and-climate controlled and will bring the total amount of temp/climate-controlled space to just under 300,000 sq. ft. across all Kanban facilities.
In case you missed our previous blog post, climate-controlled space refers to warehousing space in which both humidity and temperature are regulated. While many people use “climate-controlled” and “temperature-controlled” interchangeably, humidity is only regulated within climate-controlled space. Temperature-controlled space simply regulates temperature.
So, as more manufacturing companies choose Eastern North Carolina as a distribution hub, more space is needed to serve them. We’re adding this additional climate-and-temperature controlled space to better serve companies within the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Our new temp/climate-controlled space, like the existing space, will include racked and floor-loaded storage options. The expansion also means that all 8 dock doors at the Rocky Mount facility are located within the temp/climate-controlled environment.
When you partner with a third-party logistics (3PL) provider for climate-and-temperature controlled warehousing, you are entrusting the care of your most sensitive products to that 3PL. This allows you to focus on your business, while leaving logistics operations to logistics professionals. It also means that you need to choose your 3PL wisely, as its performance will directly impact the safety and efficacy of your products.
Some of the capabilities you should look for in a climate/temp-controlled 3PL include:
Temperature regulation. Your 3PL will use a process called “temperature mapping” to measure temperatures throughout the warehousing space and adjust as needed by heating or cooling a given area. Temperatures can fluctuate so it is important that your 3PL provider performs mapping on a regular (several times a year) basis.
Once the space is mapped appropriately, the temperature still needs to be managed – and managed 24/7/365. Your 3PL should monitor temperature in real time and many 3PLs will also have an external partner monitoring simultaneously. At Kanban, real-time notifications are sent to key staff members whenever a temperature is out of range. We then respond to the situation in accordance with our ISO-9001 processes.
WMS capabilities. The cornerstone of every modern warehouse is the warehouse management system (WMS is software that controls warehouse inventory, order management, inbound and outbound distribution, and other key functions). For food and pharmaceutical products, you’ll want to make sure that your 3PL’s WMS can manage inventory according to your precise specifications. This means identifying inventory down to the product batch level and managing to a variety of stock rotation protocols, such as FIFO (first in, first out) and FEFO (first expired, first out).
Food and drug safety. To protect the quality, purity and safety of your products, your 3PL should demonstrate knowledge of – and procedures related to – FDA guidelines for food and pharmaceutical products. This includes Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) for pharma products and Food Safety Plans for food products.
Here in Eastern North Carolina, it’s true that Kanban Logistics is one of the only 3PLs that can handle high-volume temperature-and-climate-controlled warehousing. But what sets us apart is our continued commitment to product safety and customer service. This commitment is reflected in our ISO-9001:2015 certification, our superior ratings from AIB International, and our proactive adherence to all FDA guidelines. To learn how we can put this commitment to work for your food and pharmaceutical products, contact us today.