While the night before Christmas may have promised no creatures stirring — not even a mouse — here at Adams Cold Storage, we were up and ready for the challenge to keep stores stocked and our customers running on time.
The holiday workloads begin to increase four to six weeks before the festivities as producers build their inventory. In the days after the holiday, there is an onslaught of import containers. The ports, which are closed a few days around each holiday, are typically overbooked for available chassis’ and schedules get compressed. We work with the freight forwarders, the chassis companies, the shippers, and the ultimately the drivers in order to keep things running smoothly.
We usually house a couple of trucks that need a temporary home to park their trailers because of a missed delivery appointments elsewhere, or the driver ran out of driving hours of service. We do our best to accommodate drivers at any time of the year, but during the holiday season it becomes more poignant; many are just trying to get home.
Over the years, we have opened our doors on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas Days if one of our customers has run into a particular “emergency” and are doing their best to meet an extraordinary demand from one of their own customers.
At year end, there are always requests to report physical and cycle count inventories for financial statement purposes. Customers need to know what was sold and consumed and what’s needed in the coming weeks.
It really does become a time crunch.
There are several “big box” competitors out there — with millions of square feet of space in a host of different cities. But sometimes, they’re just not that flexible. Here at ACS, we offer the same quality and service as the big box companies, but we also offer the flexibility to partner with our customers and meet the demands that the holidays — and all of the other days — throw at you.
The important part is to accomplish our company mission: Meet our standards and operate no differently than any other time of the year. It’s the same goal we’ve had since we started.
And, in 2020 and beyond, we’ll continue to do so. Happy New Year!
This column is sponsored by Adams Cold Storage, LLC, and the opinions expressed herein may not reflect those of CFAN or of its advertisers.
BIO: Ben Adams, Jr. is an owner and president of Adams Cold Storage, LLC, in Auburndale. He has been directly involved in citrus production, warehousing, and distribution, as well as state and community support, since 1980. His facility incorporates some 250,000 square feet of multitemperature warehousing and is AA rated by BRCGS.
