DC Operations
- The average hourly cost of warehouse labor in 2022 is $14.97, an almost dollar increase from 2021. (source)
- Management positions average a $52,700 salary a year. (source)
- Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers account for an employment force of 144,640 in 2022 (source)
- The average age of an employed distribution center manager is 45 years old (source)
- B2C pick and pack fees remained the same rate as 2021, at $3.13 per item, while B2B fees increased to $4.33. (source)
- 80% of the United States’ warehouses are still manually operated. (source)
- The average throughput across all package types at 100% is 20.6175 product per hour. (source)
- 27% reported the most congested area in a distribution center is the receiving dock, with 22% citing the shipping dock as the next area (source)
- 75 is the average amount of employees in a DC for 2022. (source)
- 10,371 is the average SKU count in a DC for 2022. (source)
- 85.6% is the average DC space utilization rate (source)
DC Spending
- In 2022, over 60% of distribution center operators will be investing in new equipment and modernization over the course of the next 12 months, while 57% say that they expect their spending to increase on material handling equipment over the next 2-3 years (source)
- The equipment that distribution centers are buying? 49% are investing in racks and shelving, 48% in lift trucks, and 40% in packaging solutions. (source)
- What software systems and management platforms are distribution centers spending on in 2023? 40% are looking for barcoding and automated data capture systems, while 24% are investing in ERP and WMS solutions respectively. (source)
- North America was the largest region in the warehouse automation market in 2021. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. (source)
- The mobile robots market was estimated at $2.5 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow to approximately 10 times than the current market by 2030. (source)
- Over 55,000 AMRs were sold in 2020, tripled compared to sales in 2018. (source)
- The average CAPEX for 2023 is projected to be $1.170 million (source)
- 1 out of 4 DCs are planning to spend $500,000 or more on warehouse equipment and technology (source).
- 52% of DCs have spent up to $250,000 on warehouse equipment in 2022 (source)
DC Real Estate
- As of Q1 of this year, a 4.2% warehouse vacancy rate in the US is the current situation, with some areas as low as 1.6%. (source)
- The average cost per square foot of warehouse space in 2022 was $7.96. (source)
- Occupancy and rent costs accounted for over a fourth of total revenue (source)
- By 2025, the number of warehouses worldwide is expected to reach nearly 180,000 by 2025 (source)
- Prologis, the leading logistics real estate developer, reported a 97.7% average occupancy level in 2022 Q3 (source)
Top DC Concerns
- Safety is a top issue of importance in DCs, with 84% reporting it as a top current issue. Next in line is labor availability, with 69% reporting it as a top issue. (source)
- For business leaders, increasing efficiency within their supply chain is their number one priority, with 63% reporting, followed by 59% in reducing costs. (source)
- 44% of COOs see worker shortages and turnover as a top issue (source)
- In 2021, supply chain disruptions cost the US an average of $228 million. (source)
- Digitizing and using new technology platforms in supply chains are an issue for business leaders. 48% cite budget constraints, followed by 30% of respondents having difficulty training employees to learn and utilize new systems (source)
- 46% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have reported that supply chain delays are their biggest concern this peak holiday season (source)
eCommerce and DCs
- eCommerce will grow and is expected to reach 22% of all retail sales worldwide in 2023, as compared to that 14.1% in 2019. (source)
- 35% of respondents reported that eCommerce shipping (buy online, ship to customer from DC) accounts for the majority of their operations, while another 11% (up to almost half of the survey takers) say that eCommerce shipping will be the most common. (source)
- 20.6% of all dollars spent on retail purchases came from online orders. (source)
- The packaging market for eCommerce is expected to grow to $61.55 billion by 2026, up from $27.04 billion in 2020. (source)
- The top eCommerce retailer – Amazon, grew 10.6% in Q3 2022. (source)
- More than $1 in every $5 spent on retail purchases came from online orders in Q3 2022. (source)
- Two-thirds of e-commerce companies are willing to invest more in automation due to increasing consumer expectations. (source)
Third-Party Logistics (3PL) Industry
- Third-Party Logistics (3PL) companies in the US employ over 772,000 workers. (source)
- By the end of 2028, the market size is expected to grow to that of $1993.72 billion, with Asia being the leading region (source)
- 71% of 3PLs experienced new customer acquisition in 2021 as a primary driver of its growth (source).
- 34% of 3PLs report owning 100,000 – 250,000 sq. ft. of distribution center space. (source)
- There are over 30,759 3PL businesses currently operating in the US. (source)
- 43% of 3PLs are looking to reduce costs and increase profitability on a per-order basis (source)
- 80% of 3PLs cite capacity as a top challenge, with 70% citing hiring qualified labor as a secondary challenge (source)
- The most common reason why shippers end a partnership with a 3PL is because of poor customer service with 64% saying that good service is more important than fair pricing (source).
