SEKO Logistics increases presences in Baltimore and Charlotte

Taking steps to expand its United States facilities footprint, Chicago-based third-party logistics (3PL) services provider and global freight forwarder SEKO Logistics said this week it has opened two new East Coast-based regional distribution hubs in Baltimore and Charlotte.

The Baltimore location is comprised of more than 160,000 square-feet of warehouse space, which SEKO said will support its shipper customers in the medical, e-commerce, and defense sectors. And it added that this new location also augments the company’s Defense and Commercial logistics services in Baltimore, which is made up of specialist inspection and acceptance, packaging and labeling, reverse logistics, and last mile services. SEKO also noted that this facility is ISO 13485 certified for handling and managing logistics for medical devices.  

And the new Charlotte location is the result of an investment in the ten-fold expansion of SEKO’s facility there, which was spearheaded by Managing Director and SEKO Strategic Partner Jim Duffy.

This 11,000 square-foot, 24-dock door facility will serve SEKO’s shipper customers in the finance, furniture, apparel, automotive, and industrial sectors. SEKO added that this facility is C-TPAT compliant and meshes the technology, equipment and security systems needed to scale any client project requirements.

What’s more, SEKO said that the company’s growth in Baltimore and Charlotte will increase the company’s presence for both White Glove and Cross-Dock services for its Value-Added Freight Forwarding services, too.

SEKO Logistics Chief Growth Officer Brian Bourke told LM that the company is “experiencing significant growth driven by our e-commerce, high tech and health care clients, and both the Baltimore and Charlotte markets and branches have helped drive that growth.”

As for what the key shipper customer benefits of these hubs are, Bourke said that, for Baltimore, the primary benefit is proximity and next day transit to most major East Coast metropolitan areas including New York City, lower storage costs relative to other East Coast areas, bundled with lower drayage costs due to the proximity to the port of Baltimore. 

And, for Charlotte, he said this is one of the fastest growing metro areas in the country, and having a larger facility with proximity to a fast-growing region will provide shippers with more access to the key, growing markets in North Carolina, South Carolina and the Tri-Cities region of Tennessee.

“SEKO has been in these areas for over 30 years, but these are both the largest facilities we’ve ever had in these markets,” Bourke explained. “Combined with our e-commerce, white glove and freight forwarding expertise, this is a competitive advantage because we’re able to offer our clients with more fulfillment options as shippers are looking to have 2, 3 or more hubs in the United States.  Additionally, as larger forwarders tend to consolidate operations in key metro markets, due to our hybrid business model we support both corporately owned gateway locations like New York and Chicago while also supporting our entrepreneurial strategic partners that continue to make investments in growth-oriented facilities in markets like Baltimore and Charlotte.”

Robert Shearer, Managing Director of SEKO’s Strategic Partner in Baltimore, said in a statement that SEKO’s infrastructure investments in the Baltimore/Washington operations are reflective of the strategic advantage of the Mid-Atlantic region for high quality, high-speed distribution capacities within one of the USA's most dense population centers.

“Our Mid-Atlantic location means that we can deliver to over 120,000,000 people in 18 States with a one or two-day ground service,” he said. “There continues to be tremendous demand for Class-A warehouse capacity. For many clients, working with SEKO in a shared-logistics operation is the most efficient and capital-friendly way to get their products to market.”