Smart Warehousing is stepping up in a big way to meet the rising demands of cold chain logistics. With temperature-controlled products becoming more central to everyday commerce, brands need a 3PL partner they can trust in the cold chain space. That’s why we’re expanding our cold chain footprint across the U.S.
Smart Warehousing Expands Cold Chain Fulfillment Operations
To better serve our cold chain customers and the broader market, Smart has expanded its cold chain footprint across key U.S. regions. We’ve launched temperature-controlled facilities in Florida, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas, Arizona, and Georgia. This comprehensive cold chain expansion demonstrates Smart’s commitment to enhancing its capabilities and service offerings to meet the evolving needs of its clients and partners. These new facilities are equipped to accommodate a broad range of temperature-sensitive products, with temperature zones ranging from –40°F to 40°F. These newly added locations contribute over 1.6 million square feet to our cold chain network, bringing the total to more than 3.7 million square feet. Including ambient and dry storage, Smart’s national footprint is on pace to exceed 15 million square feet.
What is Cold Chain Fulfillment?
Cold chain fulfillment is the process of storing, handling, and delivering temperature-sensitive goods while maintaining strict environmental control across every touchpoint in the supply chain. From frozen foods to fresh produce to cosmetics, cold chain logistics ensure that products remain safe, stable, and compliant every step of the way.
Unlike standard fulfillment, cold chain fulfillment demands constant temperature monitoring, specialized storage zones, humidity control, and quick response protocols. Whether it’s frozen or refrigerated, a minor deviation in temperature during transport or storage could result in product spoilage, delivery delays, and costly losses in revenue and brand reputation.
The cold chain industry is expanding rapidly, projected to increase from $286 billion in 2022 to $801 billion by 2032. The main driver of this growth comes from the surge of ecommerce. Everything from meal kit subscriptions to pet food to premium wellness products contribute to the rising demand of cold chain fulfillment.
A Look Inside Smart's Underground Cold Chain Facility
In addition to Smart’s cold chain fulfillment expansion, we also offer a unique cold chain solution— an underground temperature-controlled facility that’s centrally located in Kansas City, Missouri. Often referred to as “the Caves”, this environment provides natural advantages that make it ideal for cold chain fulfillment.
With this warehouse being underground, it maintains a naturally cool and stable temperature year-round. This helps prevent spoilage and significantly reduces overall operating costs. The natural insulation also protects against extreme weather and power outages.
The Caves can handle frozen, refrigerated, and ambient products. These different zones are monitored and equipped with humidity controls to prevent packaging damage and condensation. In fact, all of the rooms that Smart operates in has a dehumidifier, which helps us keep boxes dry and conditions consistent, no matter the season.
Fun fact: Non-gel pens do not work inside the Caves due to the cold temperatures.
While the environment itself gives us an advantage, it’s our team that brings it all together. During peak season, over 100 employees keep the operations running smoothly. From managing inventory to maintaining temperature compliance to getting products out the door on time, our team ensures that every detail is accurately executed.
Challenges in Cold Chain Fulfillment
Cold chain fulfillment is one of the most demanding operations in logistics. When every product relies on tightly controlled conditions, even the smallest misstep can have serious consequences. From labor to last-mile execution, delivering consistent results in a cold environment requires timely and efficient coordination across people, processes, and technology.
Cold chain operations come with demanding labor and environmental conditions, requiring a resilient team and disciplined processes. As our Director of Cold Chain Operations, Clayton McPheron, explains:
“One of the most important factors in cold chain operations is maintaining a steady, high-performing workforce. The nature of the environment (long hours in cold temperatures) isn’t for everyone and requires a unique level of dedication. That’s why we invest in building and supporting a well-trained team that can perform under these demanding conditions, day in and day out.”
Working in sub-zero or fluctuating cold temperatures requires more than standard warehouse training. It calls for ongoing employee engagement, specialized onboarding, and safety measures that account for both human performance and product integrity. There are no off days or shortcuts in cold chain operations. Temperature-sensitive products require constant monitoring, immediate responsiveness, and end-to-end integration throughout the supply chain.
Beyond labor, timing and accuracy in execution are critical. Shipments must be picked, packed, and loaded within strict timeframes, and carriers must arrive at exact pickup windows with routes optimized for both speed and climate control. Even brief delays can put a product at risk. Because of the perishable nature of these goods, the cost of error is significantly higher than in traditional fulfillment.
Smart Warehousing proactively meets these challenges head-on with a combination of clear SOPs, continuous training, and robust temperature-monitoring systems. Through real-time visibility tools like Smart Visibility, our customers have transparency into every stage of the fulfillment journey.
How Smart is Leading Cold Chain Fulfillment
With Smart’s recent cold chain expansion, Smart now offers temperature-controlled fulfillment capabilities in key markets across the U.S. This nationwide footprint allows us to reach more customers faster, reduce last-mile delivery costs, and provide flexible support for growing brands.
Smart delivers end-to-end solutions for frozen, refrigerated, and ambient products, fully supported by operations built for strict temperature control and food safety compliance. From frozen food to specialty perishables, our infrastructure adapts to a wide range of product needs.
Our cold chain capabilities include:
- Direct-to-consumer (DTC) fulfillment with efficient pick, pack, and ship workflows
- Business-to-business (B2B) distribution that’s aligned with retailer and distributor standards
- Ecommerce fulfillment with integrations into major platforms and marketplaces
- Transportation management services that optimize routes and control shipping costs
Through our proprietary technologies – Smart Visibility and SWIMS – clients benefit from real-time inventory tracking, shipment transparency, and proactive communication, ensuring complete confidence in every step of the supply chain.
Selecting the Right Cold Chain Fulfillment Partner
When evaluating the right cold chain fulfillment partner, it’s important that you feel confident in who can deliver consistency, reliability, and peace of mind in one of the most complex areas of logistics.
Here are a few questions that are worth considering before choosing a cold chain fulfillment partner:
- Can they manage multiple temperature zones – frozen, refrigerated, and ambient?
- Do they provide real-time visibility into inventory, shipping status, and order movement?
- Can they scale your business without compromising product integrity or turnaround times?
- What systems do they have in place to prevent and respond to delays and temperature failures?
- How do they support compliance, regulations, and quality control across your supply chain lifecycle?
- What’s their on-time shipping and inventory accuracy rate? Do they have proven KPIs?
At Smart Warehousing, we’ve spent over two decades building a cold chain network that’s designed to meet the highest expectations. We’ve invested in infrastructure and technology that supports frozen, refrigerated, and ambient fulfillment with flexible solutions. Our nationwide footprint, real-time visibility, and proven operational expertise give our customers the consistency and reliability they need in a high-stakes environment.
Ready to work with a 3PL that understands the complexity of cold chain fulfillment and delivers with confidence? Connect with our team to see how we can improve your cold chain operations.
