Built Right From Day One for Cold‑Chain Complexity: Klondike Cold Storage Success Story 

The Challenge: 

Cold storage doesn’t forgive mistakes. Products are time‑sensitive. Compliance is non‑negotiable. And customers expect speed, flexibility, and accuracy, even in sub‑zero conditions. From day one, Klondike Cold Storage knew they needed a system that could handle that reality without slowing them down. 

The Solution: 

By implementing Datex Footprint WMS at the very start of operations, Klondike built a scalable foundation designed to support complexity, growth, and customer-specific requirements—without relying on manual processes. 

 

Cold Storage Experts Who Rarely Say No: Klondike Cold Storage 

Founded in 2011, Klondike Cold Storage is a third‑party logistics (3PL) provider specializing in freezer and cooler storage for frozen and fresh food products. Since opening its doors, Klondike has expanded its footprint, opened a second facility, and increased total storage capacity by more than 400%, supporting both retail and wholesale customers. 

Klondike’s services include blast freezing, imports and exports, and cross‑docking, with a strong focus on food safety, traceability, and temperature control. As a HACCP‑ and SQF‑certified operation, precision and compliance are built into every workflow.  

At the core of Klondike’s culture is a simple philosophy: go the extra mile. The team rarely says no to customer requests—which means their technology has to say yes, every time.

The Challenge: Cold‑Chain Complexity From the Start 

Managing frozen and fresh products is fundamentally different from other supply chains. Product turnover is fast. Margins for error are slim. Lot control and traceability are critical, and products must be stored, moved, and shipped under strict temperature controls at all times. 

Warehouse teams operate in extreme cold, as low as ‑18°C, where labor is harder to sustain and product must move quickly to maintain integrity. At the same time, Klondike supports a broad customer base, each with unique requirements, documentation needs, and service expectations. 

For Klondike, the challenge wasn’t fixing broken processes or replacing legacy systems. The challenge was choosing a warehouse management system capable of supporting speed, accuracy, flexibility, and long-term growth from day one—without forcing the operation to change how it worked.

The Solution: A Platform That Fit the Business From the Start

Klondike partnered with Datex and implemented Footprint WMS from day one when operations began in 2011. This early decision eliminated the disruption that often comes with retrofitting technology into an established warehouse and gave the team time to train, learn, and build strong processes from the outset. 

The initial implementation took just a couple of months, but the value has extended far beyond go-live. Footprint WMS was set up to align with Klondike’s business model, not the other way around. As Jason Stewart, Supply Chain Manager at Klondike Cold Storage, puts it:

“Working with the Datex team has really taken a lot of weight off our shoulders. They took the time to learn our business and help set us up with a product that fit our business model.” 

Jason Stewart, Supply Chain Manager at Klondike Cold Storage  

Footprint WMS supports Klondike’s core cold‑chain requirements with advanced lot tracking, shelf‑life management, and configurable workflows designed to handle complex, customer‑specific operations. As Stewart explains: 

“Lot tracking is vital in our industry to maintain traceability within the warehouse and where the product has shipped to… Shelf life lets us know how long product is good for, and thresholds can be set to ensure product doesn’t ship out too close to expiry.” 

The Results: Growth, Handled With Confidence

With Footprint WMS fully embedded in daily operations, Klondike has built a warehouse environment that supports consistent, high‑volume operations and long‑term growth.  

Klondike manages more than 100 orders per day using order grouping, prioritization, and filtering tools to maintain fast turnaround times across diverse customer requirements.  

Seasonal demand spikes are part of everyday reality. Each summer, Klondike handles several million pounds of fresh berries for local farmers. Whether volumes are low or at peak, Footprint WMS performs at the same speed, supporting reliable throughput regardless of fluctuations.  

Configurability enables Klondike to support a diverse customer base. Custom workflows, documentation, reporting, automation, and portal access allow the team to tailor services without adding internal complexity. As Stewart says: 

“Overall, there are so many customizations that can be set up, which helps us manage our large pool of unique customers and set them up with automation, reporting, and portal access that help them run their business smoothly.” 

Automation tools such as EDI reduce manual data entry and help improve order accuracy, while customer‑facing portals give clients real‑time visibility into reports that matter to them.  

As Klondike continues to grow, confidence in the system remains high. Stewart says it best: 

“When our business grows, we never have to feel worried that Datex can’t handle it, as we grow together.” 

Key Takeaways

• Implementing Footprint WMS from day one gave Klondike a flexible foundation built to handle cold‑chain complexity without limiting how the operation runs 

• Advanced lot tracking and shelf‑life controls support HACCP‑ and SQF‑certified operations where traceability and compliance are critical 

• Configurable workflows allow Klondike to support diverse customer requirements without adding operational friction or relying on workarounds 

• Automation and customer portals reduce manual effort while giving both teams and clients real‑time visibility into what matters 

• As Klondike has grown more than 400%, Footprint WMS has scaled with the business without requiring system changes or disrupting operations