Richmond-based Warehowz has launched an innovative self-service solution that taps into AI-driven technology to speed up and simplify the warehousing logistics process more than ever before.
“It’s the first time that anyone’s been able to condense that into a true self-service marketplace,” Warehowz founder and Chief Executive Officer Darrell Jervey said.
The startup, founded in 2018, is a cloud-based logistics technology company that connects businesses in need of “on-demand” storage and fulfillment services with quality warehouses.
More than 1,500 warehouses operate within in the Warehowz network throughout North America.
Jervey said the new AI technology promises to expedite the connection process, so in as little as 24 hours, businesses can find affordable, flexible warehouse space, a process that can often take anywhere from four to six weeks.
“We took a relatively complicated process that typically involves a great deal of negotiation, and over the last year or so, we have synthesized all of the deal points and all of the options that might be included in that kind of contracting,” he said. “But now it has come together into a complete package from A-to-Z where you can do this in a self-serve environment.”
Warehowz’s new technology uses its matching algorithm to connect the user with fully vetted facilities.
“Someone can come on to our marketplace, put in their parameters for what kind of warehousing space they need, search for that space, find that space, get quotes from that space,” Jervey said. “They can even negotiate specific deal points and elements, all in the self-serve environment, and ultimately sign and contract for that space and begin shipping product.”
The service is especially important as of late, given the impact the pandemic has had on business supply chain. Jervey said many people, especially in the small-to-medium businesses, have come to Warehowz not knowing how to take care of their supply chain.
“We’re very pleased when we can help someone salvage a very difficult supply chain world with a very easy solution for them to find and utilize multiple warehouses to fulfill their products,” he said. “Providing a service that can make it easier for people to find, acquire or contract with warehouses to continue to move products and to remain flexible in a fluid marketplace has been very good for our industry.”
Jervey said the launch of an AI-powered solution doesn’t mean less need for actual employees, however. Simply put, the self-service platform gives Warehowz the ability to scale faster.
“Instead of being able to handle 10 given opportunities in a day, now we can handle 50 opportunities in a day, because 30 of those may be going through a self-serve process,” he said. “Ten may want in-depth negotiating with one of our account managers we have here, and a few of those may be somewhere in between. We can handle a lot more traffic now.”