In a move to meet evolving consumer buying trends, supply chain and fleet management service provider Ryder System Inc. has added food-grade capabilities to its e-commerce fulfillment network, including a new facility near Philadelphia and two other existing sites.

Miami-based Ryder said its new e-commerce fulfillment center near Philadelphia is a 340,000-square-foot food-grade facility, and it is scheduled to begin the integration of automation technology this summer. That automation will allow Ryder to scale the operation to fulfill more than 70,000 packages a day, with future expansion of more than 136,000 packages in a three-shift operation. 

Ryder has also obtained FDA-certification for two other food-grade e-commerce fulfillment facilities near Los Angeles and Dallas, both of which originally opened in early 2019.

“Now more than ever, people have become even more comfortable with ordering just about everything online,” Steve Sensing, president of global supply chain solutions for Ryder, said in a release. “With that trend expected to continue, our customers recognize the need to diversify their supply chains and the channels they use to take their products to market. They also want the flexibility to respond to surges in demand due to unexpected events or planned seasonality. People want the goods they rely on every day and they want them delivered to their homes in a timely manner.”

In addition, utilizing existing locations within the Ryder Last Mile network, which had been reserved for big-and-bulky items, Ryder has been able to expand its e-commerce fulfillment network for parcels by 167%. The facilities are located in the Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, Kansas City, Mo., and Tampa, Fla. areas. 

Ryder e-commerce customers also have the added benefit of utilizing the nearly 100 locations within the Ryder Last Mile network for cost-effective front-door delivery of parcels that package delivery companies now consider too large and, therefore, apply hefty surcharges.

@RyderSystemInc expands #ecommerce fulfillment network with food-grade capabilities, additional locations, and use of its #lastmiledelivery network as consumer trends evolve, benefiting companies like @RiseGardens and @CrewBottleCo. Learn more: https://t.co/DspBEKAynn #ryder #3pl pic.twitter.com/fir5Lf3Y8m

— Ryder (@RyderSystemInc) May 20, 2020