When your supply chain bleeds efficiency, no amount of warehouse space can fix it. For Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a national co-op of 10,000 dairy farmers, the challenge wasn’t just finding storage. It was simplifying the costly complexity of packaging, shipping, and finished goods storage while maintaining quality and reliability across the network.

Their logistics operation had become a tangle of inefficiencies: multiple facilities, long wait times, and underused transportation. DFA needed a vetted 3pl cold chain partner who could consolidate, streamline, and scale without adding friction.

This is the story of how a vetted cold chain 3PL provider helped DFA turn logistical challenges into operational strength.

The Challenge: Fragmented Operations and Costly Inefficiencies

DFA’s supply chain was stretched thin. Packaging was stored in one warehouse, finished goods in another, and trucks ran half-empty between plants and storage facilities. Their former 3PL partner made things worse, forcing drivers to wait up to four hours to unload a single trailer.

These inefficiencies weren’t isolated—and they were expensive. Empty backhauls and idle driver hours drained budgets and morale. Similar issues affected other food brands like Owyn, Danone, and Tasty Brands, all struggling with fragmented storage, compliance pressures, and slow warehouse processes that limited growth.

When DFA sought to streamline its supply chain, they found their answer in Progressive Logistics/PL Cold—a trusted, vetted 3PL provider within the AWI Network.

The Solution: Partnering with Progressive Logistics for a Unified Approach

When DFA sought to streamline its supply chain, they found their answer in Progressive Logistics/PL Cold, a trusted 3PL partner within the AWI Network.

With an 800,000-square-foot campus that includes climate-controlled, ambient, and freezer/cooler facilities, Progressive designed an integrated logistics model where packaging, ingredients, and finished products coexist within a single, unified ecosystem. The campus is backed by food-centric certifications including SQF and Organic, reinforcing the high standards required to handle sensitive, consumable goods.

How Progressive Logistics Transformed DFA’s Operations:

• End-to-End Shuttle Efficiency: Packaging moves from Progressive’s climate-controlled facility to DFA’s nearby Richmond, Indiana plant, with finished goods returning directly to Progressive’s freezer/cooler, dramatically reducing empty backhauls.
• Rapid Dock-to-Stock: PL Cold’s 40 truck docks and deep staging area allow trailers to be unloaded in about 30 minutes, a sevenfold speed improvement over DFA’s previous 3PL. With driver rates near $60 per hour, those savings add up quickly.
• Integrated QA and Inventory Control: Owyn’s finished goods are held for QA testing and released within the same campus, avoiding redundant transfers and delays.
• Scalable Customer Service: From multinational brands like JBS to fast-growing startups, Progressive Logistics delivers proactive service and precise execution, treating logistics as a partnership, not a transaction.

The Results: Efficiency, Cost Savings, and Growth

The impact of DFA’s partnership with Progressive Logistics/PL Cold was immediate and measurable:

• 45 loads of finished goods move efficiently through Progressive’s campus each week.
• Cost per load cut to approximately $250–$300, driven by elimination of empty backhauls.
• 4,000 pallets of Owyn product transferred monthly with minimal handling and zero friction.
• Driver time savings: unloading in 30 minutes instead of four hours saves roughly $200 per load.
• Business growth: JBS, after testing PL Cold for overflow capacity, scaled from 3,000 pallets to multiple national programs—making PL Cold its #2 outsourced provider in the U.S., on track for #1.

Why It Matters: Turning Logistics Into a Competitive Advantage

This isn’t just a warehouse story. It’s a story about how outsourced logistics can unlock growth. By collapsing complexity into a single, flexible hub, Progressive Logistics/PL Cold shows what’s possible when a 3PL thinks beyond forklifts and floor space.

For executives exploring third-party warehousing, distribution outsourcing, or supply chain optimization, the lesson is clear:

• Don’t settle for storage.
• Choose a partner who solves problems before you ask.
• Make your logistics strategy a competitive advantage.

Contact AWI for Expert Guidance

If this case study sparked ideas about how your company could benefit from a smarter, more connected approach to logistics, the next step is simple.

Reach out to AWI to explore how we can support your specific needs. Whether you’re wrestling with supply chain inefficiencies, considering outsourcing your distribution, or just looking for a fresh perspective, we look forward to supporting you.