Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Logistics
Bulk warehousing, case-pick distribution, and national freight for CPG brands across six facilities nationwide.
CPG distribution is a volume game played on razor margins. A CPG brand shipping thousands of cases per week to retailers across Canada needs a logistics operation that can absorb that volume consistently — not just during a good week, but through seasonal peaks, promotional lifts, new product launches, and unexpected demand spikes. Mikhaiel Logistics moves CPG product through six warehouse facilities across Canada, handling everything from inbound container deconsolidation to retailer-compliant outbound shipments.
Pain Points in CPG Logistics
Volume Variability
A promotional feature at a national retailer can spike volume by 200-400% in a single week. Your 3PL either has the capacity to absorb it or you're scrambling — and scrambling means late shipments, missed fill rates, and retailer chargebacks.
SKU Complexity
A mid-size CPG brand might carry 500-2,000 active SKUs across multiple packaging formats (individual units, inner packs, cases, display shippers). Each format has different storage requirements, pick profiles, and labelling standards.
Retailer Compliance
Every national retailer has its own routing guide, labelling specifications, ASN requirements, and delivery window expectations. Non-compliance means chargebacks — and CPG margins are too thin to absorb them.
Freshness Management
For CPG products with shelf-life considerations, FIFO (first-in, first-out) rotation isn't optional. Lot tracking, expiry date management, and rotation protocols need to be baked into the warehouse operation, not managed by exception.
National Reach
Canadian CPG distribution requires covering a massive geographic footprint — from BC to Atlantic Canada — without bankrupting the brand on freight costs. Regional positioning of inventory is the only way to keep per-case delivery costs manageable.
How Mikhaiel Logistics Handles CPG
We've been storing and shipping consumer goods for two decades. Our infrastructure is built for the volume, velocity, and compliance requirements that CPG brands demand.
- Bulk storage capacity — Our Belleville and Calgary distribution centres give us the raw capacity to warehouse large CPG inventories without space constraints.
- Case-pick distribution — Pick and pack operations configured for high-volume case-level picks. CPG outbound shipments are typically case-pick or full-pallet, and our pick lines are optimized for both.
- Promotional surge handling — Cross-trained staff can scale up to handle promotional volume spikes within the existing facility footprint. We manage surge capacity within our own four walls.
- FIFO and lot tracking — Our inventory management system enforces FIFO rotation automatically. Lot numbers, production dates, and expiry dates are tracked at the case level for any product that requires it.
- Retailer-compliant shipping — Labels, ASNs, routing guide compliance, and carrier routing are managed to each retailer's specifications. Our operations team ships to major Canadian retailers every day.
- National freight network — Transportation and freight services moving product from our facilities to retail DCs across Canada via FTL and LTL. Strategic inventory positioning across Belleville, Calgary, and Montreal minimizes per-case freight costs.
Regional Inventory Strategy
The most expensive decision a CPG brand can make is centralizing all Canadian inventory in a single GTA warehouse and shipping everything cross-country. A case of product going from Mississauga to Vancouver costs multiples of what it costs going from Calgary to Vancouver.
We work with CPG clients to split inventory regionally:
Eastern Canada
Belleville, ON
Ontario, Quebec (via Montreal cross-dock), and Atlantic Canada
Western Canada
Calgary, AB
Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba
This regional model typically reduces per-case delivery costs by 15-30% compared to a centralized approach, depending on the client's specific retailer footprint.
Relevant Capabilities
- Warehousing & Storage — High-volume bulk storage for CPG inventories
- Pick & Pack — Case-pick and pallet-pick for retail distribution
- Cross-Docking — Rapid transfer through Montreal for Quebec distribution
- Transportation & Freight — National FTL/LTL to retail DCs
- Inventory Management — FIFO rotation, lot tracking, real-time visibility
- Kitting & Assembly — Promotional displays, variety packs, co-packing
Distributing CPG Products Across Canada?
Get a distribution quote tailored to your volume, SKU count, and retailer footprint. Most quotes delivered within 24 hours.