The latest updates on warehousing, logistics, customs, and supply chain management in Montreal and across Canada.
Walden Robotics just launched humanoid robots for manufacturing and logistics. The pitch makes sense—delegate hard-to-automate tasks so people focus on judgment calls. In Canadian warehousing, that timing is the problem. Labor shortages exist now, not in 2028.
Marzetti brought in Mark Carter from Schwan to run supply chain operations. His mandate is to simplify the network and cut costs. For Canadian importers moving specialty food, this signals a tightening game—fewer regional stops, faster throughput, and different drayage dynamics.
Most importers evaluate a warehouse management system on features they'll never use and miss the one thing that actually kills productivity: dock-to-stock workflow timing. We run into this every week — a 3PL invested in an expensive WMS that doesn't sync with CBSA release procedures or drayage window constraints. The software is fine. The integration layer is where it fails.
Shein didn't fight the EU's €3 duty. It moved. By placing inventory distribution inside the EU before July 1, the platform converted cross-border parcels into domestic shipments, sidestepping tariff collection altogether. The move signals a consolidation trend Canadian importers are already experiencing: when tariffs or regulations compress margin, logistics hubs multiply and consolidation cycles accelerate.
McKesson is investing $179 million in a 330,000-square-foot automated distribution center in Moore, Oklahoma. The shift toward robotics and digitally enabled logistics in the US pharmaceutical supply chain creates real pressure on Canadian importers to rethink how they move healthcare products across the border. Importers who don't adapt to faster US fulfillment windows will lose margin to dwell and detention.
Montreal import-export warehousing sits at the junction of dock operations and customs clearance. Your broker sends the PARS release, your drayage driver hits the window, your warehouse dock team coordinates in-bond handling and pick-pack timing. This piece walks through what actually happens on the floor when containers land at Port of Montreal.
Spot rates on Shanghai-Rotterdam and Shanghai-Genoa climbed into double digits this week, driven by peak-season demand and carrier rate pushes. For Canadian importers and forwarders running inbound through Montreal, that translates to tighter drayage appointment windows and inventory arriving faster than warehouse capacity can absorb. The math is straightforward: higher ocean freight cost + compressed port dwell time = pressure on your 3PL's dock-door schedule.
Most WMS selection processes prioritize features that sound good in a demo but deliver nothing on the dock floor. What matters is dock-to-stock cycle time, PARS release matching, and real SKU visibility when a broker sends you a modified declaration at 10 p.m. This guide covers what to test before signing the contract.
Quebec's workplace safety regulator, CNESST, sets the rules for dock operations, material handling, and racking. Compliance isn't optional — violations cost money and operations shut down fast. We walk through what the inspection actually looks like and where most warehouses miss the mark.
Most WMS selection conversations start in the wrong room. Finance or IT leads the RFP, but the ops floor never gets asked what actually breaks their day. We've spent years coordinating inbound PARS releases, cross-dock cutoffs, and pick-pack SLAs across multiple sufferance-warehouse environments. The system you choose either speeds that up or bakes delays into your cost structure.