Canada is in danger of running out of storage space for goods by the end of the year, thanks to the e-commerce boom sparked by the pandemic. With e-commerce giants vying for every available warehouse across the nation, the regional business community is facing a major inventory storage dilemma.

In response, warehouse owners are raising leasing rates above the market standard. While the global e-commerce giants can accommodate price increases without significant impact on their budgets, the same cannot be said for smaller and medium-sized manufacturing and retail businesses. Against this backdrop, retailers across Canada are finding refuge in Advantech Supply Chain Solutions, which provides cost-effective warehousing spaces customized to the exact requirements of its clients.

“Unlike the traditional warehouse brokerages and leasing agencies that have a fluctuating, demand-based pricing model, we offer fixed pricing for all our storage spaces for the leased period— no matter if it is for months or several years,” says Adam Gueran, president and COO of Advantech Supply Chain Solutions.

The company is driven by the vision of its founders, Adam Gueran and Victor Rabba, who decided to address the dire storage needs of small and mid-sized firms and help them thrive in the e-commerce industry. Gueran’s expertise in warehousing and sales and Rabba’s as co-founder of Rabba Fine Foods grocery chain enables Advantech to build optimal warehousing facilities to fulfill the storage requirements of Canada’s small and medium-sized manufacturing and major international brands such as Nestle, Molson Coors and Irving Group of Companies.

Simplifying Product Storage with End-to End Warehousing Services

Advantech follows a comprehensive, client-centric collaboration process with its manufacturing and shipping clients. The company understands that unsuitable facilities can compromise product longevity and increase storage management costs. The company always conducts meticulous assessments of the client’s business, including their product specifications and quality-control requirements, before determining the storage space and temperature conditions. Based on the evaluation, they offer the client a list of their best-suited warehouses.

“In cases where our client’s products have very specific requirements, we customize our warehouses to match the client’s needs, optimizing storage management and streamlining transport,” states Gueran.

More importantly, the stored products— whether food, other temperature-controlled products, or dry goods—are managed and transported to the relevant stores by Advantech. The company implements an optimal transport route from the warehouse and the client’s stores, and partners with some of Canada’s best carriers. Advantech’s close collaboration with the carriers ensures that the client’s valuable goods reach their destination safely and securely, and on schedule. Free from the hassle of transportation tasks, Advantech’s clients can focus on enhancing their production processes to generate more goods.

The client-centric competencies were clearly at play when a manufacturer sought to streamline their logistics workflow. Although there was sufficient space in their production facility, most of it was assigned for raw materials. The finished products would go to a different warehouse, from which the goods would be transported to the final destination. When the flow of raw materials increased with the acceleration of production, there wasn’t enough space for the finished product in their combined warehouse space.

This was when the client sought the help of Advantech’s specialists, who conducted a thorough assessment of the business and facilitated an optimal workflow. The company provided them with onsite storage space for raw materials and finished products at the production facility, eliminating the need for a separate warehouse. The new workflow enabled the client to coordinate their raw material procurement and production speed. As the demand increased further, Advantech helped the client expand their facility, enabling them to efficiently store and manage the goods. Currently, Advantech is helping the client with the transportation of finished products as well.

The client has already witnessed a significant reduction in warehousing and transportation expenditure, saving up to $3 million per year in their Toronto operations alone.

Powered by Cutting-Edge WMS and EDI

Advantech’s warehouse management software (WMS) and electronic data interchange (EDI) platforms, developed and integrated into the company’s workflow by Ramp Systems, offer massive efficiency gains. These robust systems are enabling Advantech to efficiently configure its strategies to meet the nuanced requirements of retail businesses, manufacturing firms, and 3PL clients.

The EDI system enables Advantech to digitally exchange data between its internal platforms, as well as with the systems used by its clients. As a result, Advantech can easily and instantly generate and share reports, invoices, and bills with its clients.

Paving the Way for Business Optimization

Advantech’s mission is powered by an experienced leadership team and a motivated workforce. Gueran and Rabba use their industry connections to onboard the most competent people, whose goals are aligned to the company’s mission. Advantech has jumped into the frozen storage segment of the business, and is quickly expanding the company’s capabilities with robust strategies.

Bringing the strategies of the leadership team into fruition is Advantech’s expansive team, which is always ready to support clients who rely on the company’s expertise to streamline their warehousing and transportation, and generate greater ROI.

Such competencies have enabled Advantech’s clients to maintain business continuity even during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. While manufacturers and shippers were unable to find storage facilities for their products, it was business as usual for Advantech’s clients, who had the advantage of customized storage spaces at minimal rates. Even now, as the pandemic’s effects are abating, Advantech is helping its clients strengthen their inventories with expansive storage spaces.

The company’s increasing popularity with manufacturers and shippers across Canada is boosting its growth up to 280 percent each year. Advantech plans to further bolster its quality standards and protocols, which will accelerate its expansion into the freezer cooler segment of the market. By challenging the status-quo of the warehousing space, Advantech aims to help regional manufacturers and shippers compete with the big players in the e-commerce sector.