Advisory services
Warehouse consulting services & supply chain consulting
We don't just run warehouses — we help clients fix theirs. CRC is a supply chain consulting firm built on the actual operating discipline of running 3PL facilities for agriculture, technology, chemical, and food-grade products for over 30 years.
What our warehouse consultants do
Supply chain consulting at CRC starts on the warehouse floor, not in a slide deck. Our consultants walk your operation, time your processes, and model your data — then deliver a plan your team can actually execute. Engagements range from a two-week warehouse layout consulting study to full supply chain optimization consulting across your distribution network.
Layout & slotting optimization
Reorganize pick paths, storage media, and SKU placement to cut travel distance and improve throughput. We model the floor before moving a single rack.
WMS / ERP integration
Connect warehouse execution to your order, inventory, and financial systems. We specify workflows, data mappings, and reporting so the system matches the operation.
Labor planning & standards
Engineered labor standards, shift modeling, and productivity dashboards built around your actual SKU mix, seasonality, and service windows.
SOP design & compliance
Documented receiving, put-away, picking, packing, and shipping procedures that scale across sites and satisfy customer and regulator audit requirements.
Network & site selection
Find the right footprint — lease, build, or reconfigure — based on your lanes, volumes, and growth plan, not on empty space we need to fill.
Operational due diligence
Pre-acquisition and post-merger warehouse assessments: capacity, cost structure, systems, and integration risk for investors and operators.
Why this works
Benchmarks from the warehouse floor.
Our recommendations are grounded in industry operating data and validated across CRC's coast-to-coast warehouse network in the United States. These are the levers we pull first.
Typical share of warehouse operating cost tied to labor
Industry benchmarks show labor is the largest controllable cost in most facilities. Small productivity gains compound quickly.
Travel-distance reduction from layout and slotting changes
Operations studies consistently find that re-slotting fast movers and shortening pick paths can cut non-value-added motion by double digits.
Productivity improvement from engineered standards and visibility
Clear expectations plus real-time feedback typically lift picker output and reduce reliance on overtime and temporary labor.
Client outcomes
Real enterprise work, anonymized.
Many of our consulting engagements are covered by NDAs. Below are representative engagements that show the kind of problems CRC solves and the results we target.
Agriculture inputs
The problem
A national seed and fertilizer distributor was outgrowing a seasonal labor model and missing inbound receiving windows during peak planting season.
What CRC did
CRC redesigned the receiving and cross-dock flow, engineered labor standards by commodity, and implemented daily productivity huddles.
The result
Dock-to-stock time dropped and the facility absorbed a 30% volume spike without adding a second shift. Names withheld under NDA.
Food-grade ingredients
The problem
A food ingredient supplier struggled with lot traceability, cycle-count accuracy, and customer audit findings across multiple co-packers.
What CRC did
We standardized SOPs, mapped lot-controlled workflows into the WMS, and introduced a cycle-count program tied to inventory turns.
The result
Inventory accuracy improved to 99.5%+ and the customer passed its next major audit with no material findings. Names withheld under NDA.
Technology hardware
The problem
A high-value electronics importer needed to consolidate fragmented 3PL relationships and build a repeatable launch process for new SKUs.
What CRC did
CRC developed a network plan, defined inbound quality and serialization workflows, and created a launch playbook for new product introductions.
The result
The client reduced its 3PL footprint from four providers to two and cut new-SKU onboarding time by more than half. Names withheld under NDA.
Ask usClient names and site-level results are covered by NDA. Ask us and we'll walk you through comparable engagements and the metrics we moved.
From assessment to implementation
We can advise, or we can run it.
Some clients hire CRC for a one-time network study or SOP redesign. Others hand us the keys and let our warehouse teams execute the plan. Either way, the same operating discipline applies.
See 3PL warehouse operationsCommon questions
Warehouse consulting, answered.
What does a warehouse operations consulting engagement look like?
Most engagements start with an on-site assessment of your facility: layout, labor model, systems, and inventory flows. We deliver a written diagnostic with prioritized recommendations, and many clients then keep us on to implement — or hand the operation to CRC's own 3PL teams.
How is pricing structured?
It depends on scope. Assessments and network studies are typically fixed-fee; implementation support and interim operations leadership are structured as retainer or project engagements. We confirm scope and cost in writing before any work begins.
How long does a typical project take?
A single-facility assessment usually wraps in two to four weeks. Layout redesigns and WMS integration projects run longer depending on complexity, and we phase recommendations so you see operational improvements before the full project completes.
Do you only consult, or can you run the operation too?
Both. CRC operates third-party warehouses coast to coast for agriculture, technology, chemical, and food-grade products, so consulting clients can keep us as advisors, bring us in to manage a turnaround, or transition the operation to CRC's 3PL network entirely.
What size company do you work with?
Our sweet spot is mid-market and enterprise shippers with real warehouse spend — companies operating 10,000 to 600,000 sq. ft. of space, or paying a 3PL that isn't performing. If your problem is warehouse operations, labor, or network design, we can help.
Start with a warehouse operations assessment.
Send us your current layout, labor model, and biggest pain point. We'll come back with a focused diagnostic and a practical plan.