While COVID sent our spirits down, it shot our spending habits up: According to CNBC, Americans spent $791.7 billion on e-commerce during 2020, an increase of 32.4% from the previous year. All of this accounted for e-commerce making up 14% of total retail sales, meaning that we are in the midst of a veritable online shopping boom, with the pandemic accelerating the shift to digital shipping by roughly five years.
Nevertheless, many retailers have found it challenging to keep up with the ever-increasing pace of consumer demand. Adapting existing systems to meet production is a costly and disruptive process, and the traditional distribution center network is not agile enough to meet the modern consumer’s needs.
But, never to fear: If you are an entrepreneur finding yourself in the same struggle, the good people at McMurray Stern have got you covered.
For more than 40 years, McMurray Stern has been an industry leader in the world of storage solutions. With the online shopping boom brought on by COVID-19, they recognized an even greater need for their services.
Having taken the leap into the realm of automated storage systems, they have helped companies across a wide array of industries (such as grocery, manufacturing, agriculture) improve their solutions in order to meet everyone’s needs. By helping entrepreneurs transition to micro-fulfillment, which is a strategy that places small-scale warehouse facilities in densely populated urban locations closer to the consumer to improve delivery times, McMurray Stern helps their clients maintain a competitive edge while lowering their bottom line.
At the heart of McMurray Stern’s success is its reliance on a fully integrated design-build process that ensures projects are professionally managed from concept to execution. Each project is managed by a team responsible for the design, order placement, planning, site meetings, installation, and service and maintenance, with each crew consisting of factory-trained employees.
An example of the company’s efficiency can be found in a recent project they completed for the Los Angeles International Airport: Having created a facility intended to consolidate operations of some two dozen car rental facilities spread around neighboring communities, they helped to eliminate roughly 3,200 daily shuttle trips to and from these facilities.
In addition to this carefully crafted process, McMurray Stern relies on multiple approaches to help meet their clients’ needs and consumer demands, including low-maintenance pouch sorters and carriers and Cuby and Flexi shuttle system options. After signing an agreement with HAI Robotics last month, their latest innovation comes in the form of the HAIPICK robots. Characterized by high stability and high precision, with autonomous navigation, active obstacle avoidance, and autonomous charging, these robots replace the repetitive, time-consuming, and heavy manual storage and handling work, significantly improving a warehouse’s storage density and operational efficiency.
Located in Southern California, McMurray Stern has a unique yet powerful presence in the storage industry. Having earned the trust of companies such as Schaefer, FANUC Robotics, and Amgen, they pride themselves on knowing that there is no product too delicate or space too challenging where they can make a difference.