Warehousing is an important part of any supply chain strategy, as retailers and shippers need a place to store and stage products before final shipping. The top warehousing providers of 2024 account for hundreds of warehouses across the country and millions of square - or cubic - feet. Before going further, a reminder: a warehouse in logistics is defined as a supply chain facility whose primary purpose is storing inventory.
Sometimes, warehouses are distinguished from distribution centers (DCs) by the number of "inventory turns," as in, DCs traditionally turn inventory on a far more regular basis than warehouses. However, the line between warehouse and DC has blurred in recent years. Much like the transportation options to move products, warehouses are broken up into two main types, accounting for dry storage warehousing and refrigerated storage warehousing. This is analogous to dry containers/trucks and refrigerated (reefer) containers/trucks, which handle temperature-controlled shipping.
The top seven dry storage warehousing providers are listed here by number of warehouses and total space - as measured in square footage.
The top six refrigerated warehousing providers are listed here by number of warehouses and total space - as measured in cubic footage.
As with any area of specialization, the warehousing industry has its own lingo. Here are a few warehouse terms and definitions to help avoid confusion.
Returns occur when a customer sends back an already purchased item, whether it be due to a mind change, a defect, cancellation or some other reason. Warehouses often hold these returned items as part of the reverse logistics process.
Kitting (or kit building) is the act of putting individual products or components together into a kit (or a package). Many warehouses offer this service, which is used for a variety of cases, including large ecommerce orders including a variety of items, subscription boxes or even an electronic product that requires different outlet adapters depending on its country of sale.
Picking (sometimes referred to as order picking) is a part of the fulfillment process in which items from a customer order are retrieved (or picked) from a warehouse. It sounds simple, but picking can involve manpower, automation or a combination of the two, making it the most expensive warehouse process. The industry average pick rate (or picking speed) is 70 items per hour, and the average picking error rate is one to two percent.
Receiving is in essence how a warehouse is stocked. It's an important process that ensures inventory is tracked when stock is delivered, inspected, tagged, unloaded and then stored. When receiving is done incorrectly or skipped, lost inventory (and lost revenue) can result.
Put-Away (or putaway) is the movement of goods to their assigned spots in the warehouse after receiving. A good put-away process stages products in an ideal location for space, access, safety, etc.
Storage is the essence of a warehouse's role, storing goods and products. In warehousing, storage is large-scale, but smaller-scale storage can occur in other venues.
Packing is the process of preparing items for shipment by securely placing them in boxes or other types of packaging. It is important to choose the right packing materials and container for the products in question to ensure a damage-free shipping and delivery process. Pick and pack in warehousing combines picking and packing, describing when a warehouse retrieves items from shelves and packages them for shipping.
Shipping is the final stage of warehouse processes in which properly packaged items are shipped to reach the end customer either via a retailer or direct-to-consumer.
Drop shipping is a popular ecommerce practice in which a seller ships its customers' orders direct from a supplier's warehouse. In a drop shipment scenario, a retailer purchases the product and processes the customer order at the time of the order, shipping the item from the supplier rather than making a bulk purchase of items and staging them at their own warehouse.
Headquarters: Bonn, Germany
Website: www.dhl.com/us-en/home/supply-chain.html
Founded: 1969
Headquarters: Greenwich, CT
Website: www.xpo.com
Founded: 2000
Headquarters: Miami, FL
Website: www.ryder.com/en-us
Founded: 1933
Headquarters: Levallois-Perret, France
Website: geodis.com/us
Founded: 1904
Headquarters: Camden, NJ
Website: www.nfiindustries.com
Founded: 1932
Headquarters: Atlanta, GA
Website: www.americold.com
Founded: 1903
Headquarters: Memphis, TN
Website: www.fedex.com/en-us/logistics.html
Founded: 1998
Headquarters: Novi, MI
Website: lineagelogistics.com
Founded: 2012
Headquarters: Atlanta, GA
Website: www.americold.com
Founded: 1903
Headquarters: Camden, NJ
Website: www.uscold.com
Founded: 1899
Headquarters: Greenwich, CT
Website: www.xpo.com
Founded: 2000
Headquarters: Vancouver, Canada
Website: versacold.com
Founded: 1946
Headquarters: Fort Wayne, IN
Website: interstatecoldstorage.com
Founded: 1973
Whether storing dry goods or part of a cold chain strategy, warehousing is essential for any supply chain. To enhance your warehousing (or overall freight) plans, the right partner can help. Fill in our Request a Quote form to tell us about your business needs and we'll help you with warehousing and shipping solutions to fit your unique requirements. If you're interested in reading more from us, check out our Freight Guides.