London Inc. May/June 2021 - 14

Upfront Logistics

FULFILLING
EXPECTATIONS

With the meteoric rise of ecommerce
and subsequent demand for fulﬁlment
services, a third-party logistics
provider expands to meet demand
WITH FRONT-PORCH AND lobby deliveries
providing not just goods but an element of hope and
excitement during lockdowns, a London logistics
company is expanding to a second location to handle
demand.
For a decade, third-party logistics (3PL) business
Drexel Industries (www.drexel.ca) has stored and
shipped goods for a variety of online retailers -
essentially the Amazon model for dozens of retailers,
including Costco, Walmart, Best Buy, Canadian Tire
and even Amazon itself.
It operates from a 300,000-square-foot space at 100
Kellogg Lane, former home of the cereal company. It is
the creation of Jason Salmon, whose wife, Jennifer, is
VP of business development and whose sister, Tara, is
CFO.
" It started in my garage, " Salmon recalls. " I started
as a wholesaler, selling to online retailers. We started
by selling ﬂoor scrubbers, learned a lot and began to
expand. "
From his garage, he moved to various self-storage
spaces, then to an 8,000-square-foot facility, then to
35,000-square feet, then to his current space. Salmon's
landlord throughout has been E&E McLaughlin, so he
knew where to turn when he realized he needed still
more space.
Later this year, Drexel will open a second location
on Wilton Grove Road. It has been home to auto parts
maker Brose. " Brose is relocating this summer. In July,
we can start renovations. We'll have 150,000 square
feet initially, but the site could handle an expansion of
350,000 square feet in the future. "
It's a safe bet the company will need that extra space
one day.
At Kellogg, the company has 20 shipping docks and a
steady stream of trucks delivering goods and couriers
picking up. Its primary courier is FedEx, " but we use
them all. We're one of the biggest local shippers. "
When someone scrolls through the Best Buy website
late at night, settling on an espresso machine or laptop,
Drexel is involved immediately. It receives an electronic
data interchange (EDI), the language of e-commerce.
14 | londonincmagazine.ca | MAY / JUNE 2021

Jason Salmon
http://www.drexel.ca http://www.londonincmagazine.ca
London Inc. May/June 2021

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