After months of living and working in a pandemic, consumers have adapted to a world where groceries, clothing, and essential supplies show up at the front door. While some companies make this hyper-localized, expedited home delivery look easy, many retailers, suppliers, and logistics providers lack the nimble supply chain infrastructure necessary to keep up with consumer expectations and capitalize on this unprecedented shift in shopping culture.
Learn how companies at the forefront of modern loading and logistics – from eCommerce and parcel delivery giants to supermarkets and food suppliers – are reimagining and accelerating their supply chain facilities, buildouts, and last mile delivery infrastructure.
Dealing with Unprecedented Demand
When demand for essential supplies skyrocketed, traditional distribution channels were challenged as overseas shipments screeched to a halt, distancing measures forced manufacturers to run at reduced capacity, brick & mortar stores closed, and upstream food suppliers looked for alternative revenue sources beyond empty restaurants and event centers.
These compounding issues created the perfect storm in logistics and order fulfillment leaving many companies and their real estate site selection teams scrambling to snap up more facilities. Adding complexity to their search, is the need to locate ideal warehouses and potential last-mile fulfillment centers in proximity to residential areas in order to meet expedited delivery demands to the end-user.
How Modular Structures Fuel Fulfillment & Last Mile Delivery
Ever since replacing conventional construction with its first heavy steel loading dock ramp in 2005, Dockzilla has modernized loading and logistics. The company’s diverse solutions range from delivery of a portable loading dock for added shipping capacity, to standing up high speed distribution platforms that eliminate the need to invest in a facility or time-consuming building expansion.
Tapping into this modular mentality empowers companies to close gaps in distribution and gain proximity to customer homes more quickly. Dockzilla modular loading solutions deliver complete, architecturally-sound distribution and logistics structures in just weeks instead of the months of construction typically required to expand an existing facility or build a new one.
Using Dockzilla’s proven modular distribution and logistics loading systems, companies can remove bottlenecks in their supply chains and reimagine their infrastructure beyond the limitations of conventional buildings. These “plug and play” solutions can help businesses better utilize existing space with quick retrofit solutions, or capitalize on vacancies left behind by the pandemic and give real estate site selection teams more options to inhabit existing real estate like abandoned shopping malls and unused parking lots. Here are some of the ways companies are sidestepping construction and gaining localized order fulfillment and distribution in record time.
Solution 1: Instant Cross Dock Distribution
Stand up a high-speed cross docking distribution center within weeks, compared to the year or more required to design and build a permanent facility. Dockzilla’s modular cross dock distribution centers are heavy-duty, self-supported steel platforms that are custom-engineered to fit your needs with an unlimited number of loading dock positions, ramps, and even integrated dock levelers.
This 60-dock position Modular Cross Dock is used to unload incoming container shipments and transfer loads to outbound trailers.
Customers are using these cross-docking systems to unload shipping containers and then quickly sort and transfer loads into outbound trailers headed for distribution centers across the country. With the Dockzilla modular loading platform, it’s easy to set up a cross-docking operation wherever you have the space – at an existing facility, a vacant parking lot, or even an empty field! Plus, the modular design means your platforms can be reconfigured and relocated at a moment’s notice to address issues wherever they are needed most.
Solution 2: Modular Warehouse
The dramatic increase in online shopping and grocery delivery has increased the need for storage capacity. With existing warehouse space in short supply, companies can add a complete, modular warehouse of any size on their own property or at vacant lots such baseball stadiums or event centers. Dockzilla’s modular warehouses combine our loading docks and distribution platforms, with a fully-enclosed high-strength vinyl structure. These durable structures are capable of handling high winds, heavy rain or snow, and can be heated for use in cold climates.
Dockzilla has helped customers quickly stand up turnkey spoke & hub facilities and fulfillment centers in unconventional locations. Turnkey solutions include a 22,000 sq. ft. modular warehouse in a MLB baseball stadium parking lot to expedite holiday peak season deliveries.
The durability means that the modular warehouse is great for long-term use, while the modular flexibility means they are a perfect fit for pop-up temporary solutions to accommodate seasonal needs. When traditional facilities aren’t available to effectively run operations and accommodate employees, a host of amenities can be added, such as restrooms and mother’s rooms, internet boxes, food trucks and vending machines.
Solution 3: Spoke & Hub Distribution
For companies with a Hub or Depot facilities to support distribution across a market, Dockzilla provides the “spoke” facilities needed to complete the supply chain. These are ideal for loading LTL trailers along the supply chain journey, and they provide a great option for distribution in rural communities that are often left behind by larger logistics companies. These loading platforms can be customized to include special traction surfaces to accommodate pallet jacks, hand carts, or forklifts.
Dockzilla provided a 4-dock Modular Distribution Depot for a leading snack food manufacturer.
Solution 4: Logistics on Ice
To maintain the integrity of perishables like produce, frozen goods, dairy, and pharmaceuticals, Dockzilla loading platforms can provide the foundation for a temperature-controlled cold storage warehouse wherever needed. To accelerate transfer, these self-supported loading platforms can be outfitted with portable walk-in coolers or freezer units. Refrigerated cargo can be unloaded and stored at proper temperatures to wait for outgoing vehicles to arrive, enabling the delivering vehicle to move without risking damage to perishable goods.
Dockzilla erected a self-standing loading platform for a regional dairy, who planned to add a portable climate-controlled refrigerator on top of the platform to hold supplies in between loading intervals.
Building Retrofit Solutions
When companies are able to find an existing facility to meet their location, size, and other requirements for last mile delivery, chances are that the loading docks will need some work. Dockzilla’s retrofit solutions can help minimize the number of dock doors needed and eliminate the need for construction altogether:
Solution 5: Last Mile Order Fulfillment
Setting up an existing facility to handle the variables involved in last mile delivery is challenging. Since the size of delivery vehicles can change from one load to another, we offer a universal ramp that hydraulically adjusts to lift short vans, box trucks, pup trailers, so they’re raised to the dock height. This means that you won’t need to create additional dock positions, since our ramps allow you to service standard 53′ trailers and cargo vans at the same dock. Plus, these ramps are operated via a simple push button from inside your building for safe and efficient height adjustments.
Solution 6: Turn One Dock Door Into More
When your fulfillment center or warehouse needs to ship more than your existing loading docks can accommodate, there’s an easy way to add dock positions or utilize the resources you have, without construction. Our building expansion platforms set up outside the dock doors to provide additional square footage for room to maneuver forklifts or hand carts. In addition, our platforms can be configured in many ways to transform one dock door into more, similar to a “power strip.” Our engineers will leverage the modularity of our platform design to provide as many dock positions as you need, using a single dock door as the starting point. These solutions help companies retrofit leased facilities and tackle their upgraded loading operations more quickly than time-intensive, more permanent expansion projects.
Dockzilla building expansion platforms allow for more loading positions at a facility without construction.
Modern Logistics at the Speed of Business
2020 ushered in a radical shift in how we work, live, and do business. Successful companies are rising to the challenge, and modernizing operations to meet the needs of their customers. At Dockzilla, we’re here to help you do the same. Get in touch with one of our engineers to discover how we can help you harness better efficiency FASTER.
Get In Touch
Our team is ready to help you capitalize on untapped and underutilized opportunities at your facility or property. Reach out and a sales engineer will follow up to evaluate any loading dock or forklift ramp you’re considering, and to identify potential safety hazards or barriers to productivity. Let’s talk!