Atlanta Bonded

What Atlanta Bonded does

Atlanta Bonded Warehouse Corporation (ABW) is a privately held, family-owned third-party logistics provider headquartered in Kennesaw, Georgia, founded in 1948 as Acme Bonded Warehouse and renamed in 1981. The company operates 16 temperature-controlled warehousing facilities totaling 7.5 million square feet across six states (Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Indiana, Texas, Pennsylvania), handling 730 million cases and 9 million pallets in 2024 with 1,212 employees. ABW serves consumer packaged goods (CPG), food, beverage, confectionery, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and plastics customers through three integrated service lines: multi-client and dedicated warehousing, refrigerated less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation via its wholly owned asset-based carrier Colonial Cartage Corporation (200 refrigerated trailers, 65+ tractors, 26-state service area), and contract co-packaging.

The technology backbone is a Blue Yonder (formerly JDA) Tier One Warehouse Management System integrated with a customized Truck Management System and a Dell Boomi AtomSphere EDI/data translation engine supporting full X12 EDI standards (940, 943, 944, 945, 846, 856/ASN, 214, 211, 210). A customer-facing portal (MGP Toolbox) provides real-time visibility into orders, shipments, inventory, and transportation. Regulatory credentials include BRC Global Standard for Food Safety certification on Atlanta public facilities, FDA registration across all 16 facilities, and 5 activated Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) locations in the Atlanta metro area with WMS-based digital inventory control.

ABW's go-to-market is direct enterprise sales led by named sales leadership (Hal Justice, Andy Womack), supported by content marketing (blog, white papers, SEO) and industry-association referral channels (WERC, IWLA, IARW, AWI, CSCMP). Revenue is contract-negotiated on a multi-year basis across pallet positions, case volume, transportation lanes, co-packaging line-hours, and FTZ service tiers; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Long-tenured enterprise customers include Hershey (25+ years, dedicated Southeastern Distribution Center), Barilla (16+ years), Storck USA (~20 years), and Wrigley (multi-decade), alongside unnamed Fortune 500 CPG manufacturers served through dedicated regional distribution centers. The company has been named to the Inbound Logistics Top 100 3PL list for 14 consecutive years and the Food Logistics Top 3PL & Cold Storage list for 11 consecutive years.

Name

Atlanta Bonded

Legal name

Atlanta Bonded Warehouse Corporation

Website

https://atlantabonded.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Atlanta Bonded Warehouse Corporation is a privately held, family-owned 3PL provider founded in 1948, operating 7.5 million square feet of temperature-controlled warehousing across six states alongside an in-house refrigerated LTL carrier (Colonial Cartage) and co-packaging services, primarily serving CPG, food, beverage, confectionery, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Third-Party Logistics (3PL) Warehousing and Transportation

NAICS

General Warehousing and Storage (49311), Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage (493120)

SIC

Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)

akta.pro primary industry

Warehousing Operations & Contract Storage (Dedicated/Shared) (TLAIAAAC)

Keywords

• Temperature-controlled warehousing
• Refrigerated LTL transportation
• Contract co-packaging services
• Food-grade 3PL logistics
• Foreign trade zone warehousing

Headquarters

HQ city

Kennesaw

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public & Contract Warehousing: Recurring storage and handling fees from multi-client and dedicated warehouse customers across 17 facilities / 7.5 million sq ft / 436,500 pallet positions (Atlanta campus). Pricing is contracted per pallet, per case handled, and per inbound/outbound activity. ABW handled 730 million cases and 9 million pallets in 2024.
2. Refrigerated LTL Transportation (via Colonial Cartage Corporation): Asset-based freight revenue from in-house carrier Colonial Cartage, which operates 200 refrigerated trailers and 65+ tractors (or 70 power units / 220 trailers per other ABW sources) across a 26-state service area. In 2021, Colonial handled 28,000 orders and 300+ million pounds of freight. Revenue is per-load / per-mile plus accessorials, with cross-docking and freight consolidation.
3. Co-Packaging / Contract Packaging Services: Fee-for-service secondary packaging, repackaging, kitting, display builds (floor stands, power wings, counter displays, SRPs), eCommerce co-packing, A/B testing, white/private label, and bulk re-packaging. Co-packaging has grown 10-15% to 15-20% year-over-year over the past two decades.
4. Cross-Docking & Freight Consolidation: Pool-point and short-duration staging revenue where product is transferred between inbound and outbound vehicles, eliminating long-term storage. Provided to warehouse customers and as a standalone service via Colonial Cartage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Atlanta Bonded Warehouse (ABW) is an integrated third-party logistics (3PL) provider offering temperature-controlled multi-client and dedicated warehousing, asset-based refrigerated LTL transportation through its in-house carrier Colonial Cartage Corporation, and contract co-packaging services for CPG, food, beverage, confectionery, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical brands. Operations span 17 facilities across six states with 7.5 million sq ft of space and 5 activated Foreign Trade Zone locations, all unified by a Blue Yonder Tier One WMS, a customized TMS, and Dell Boomi-powered EDI.

Product overview

Atlanta Bonded Warehouse (ABW) is a family-owned, Southeast-leading integrated 3PL platform combining three core service lines — Atlanta Warehousing (multi-client and dedicated), Refrigerated LTL Transportation (via in-house carrier Colonial Cartage Corporation), and Co-Packaging Solutions — supported by service modules including Freight Consolidation and Cross-Docking, and enabled by the Logistics Toolbox customer portal and Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) capabilities. Founded in 1948 and operating across sixteen facilities in six states (Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Indiana, Texas, Pennsylvania) with over 7.5 million square feet of racked, high-cube, food-grade, temperature-controlled warehouse space (436,500 pallet positions on the Atlanta campus alone), ABW specializes in temperature-controlled (40–75°F) management of consumer packaged goods (CPG), confectionery, food, beverage, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and plastics products for retailers, manufacturers, and importers across a 26-state delivery network. Tier One WMS (Blue Yonder), in-house EDI translation via Dell Boomi AtomSphere, and integrated WMS+TMS workflows unify the warehousing, transportation, and co-packaging offerings under a single supply-chain solution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ABW Logistics Toolbox: ABW's real-time customer logistics portal providing order, shipment, and inventory visibility (abw.mgptoolbox.com).

Products and services

• Atlanta Warehousing (Multi-Client and Dedicated)

Quantifiable outcome

• 730 million cases and 9 million pallets handled in 2024 across 7.5 million sq ft / 17 facilities
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Colonial Cartage CorporationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerColonial Cartage is ABW's in-house asset-based refrigerated LTL carrier. Operating 200 refrigerated trailers and 65+ Peterbilt power units across a 26-state service area (Southeast, Southwest, Midwest, Upper Midwest, Great Plains). In 2021, Colonial handled 28,000 orders and 300+ million pounds of freight. The Colonial TMS is integrated with ABW's Blue Yonder WMS for end-to-end order visibility, and trailers are tracked by Blue Tree while tractors use KT and Brickhouse Security ELD systems. General Manager: John Bolla ([email protected]).
• Blue Yonder (formerly JDA)coreTechnology or IntegrationBlue Yonder's Tier One Warehouse Management System (WMS) is the core WMS across ABW's warehousing operations. Originally implemented as JDA WMS, the platform supports multi-client and dedicated warehousing and integrates with Colonial Cartage's TMS and ABW's customer-facing MGP Toolbox portal. A white paper documents the WMS implementation (https://atlantabonded.com/2018/04/how-a-jds-wms-strengthened-our-warehouse-management-operations/).
• Dell Boomi (AtomSphere)coreTechnology or IntegrationABW uses the Dell Boomi AtomSphere translation engine for in-house EDI/data translation, supporting full X12 EDI (940, 943, 944, 945, 846, 856/ASN, 214, 211, 210), flat/custom data-file formats, and integration with customer systems. Enables rapid response to customer EDI requests via in-house mapping and programming resources.
• Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC)minorOthersIndustry-association member; logo displayed on ABW homepage.
• International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA)minorOthersIndustry-association member; logo displayed on ABW homepage.
• International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW / GCCA)minorOthersIndustry-association member under the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA); logo displayed on ABW homepage.
• Associated Warehouses, Inc. (AWI)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReciprocal network partner (awilogistics.com); logo displayed on ABW homepage as part of a multi-warehouse 3PL network that supports cross-region customer coverage.
• Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP)minorOthersIndustry-association member; logo displayed on ABW homepage.
• Barilla America, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner16+ year 3PL warehousing and transportation partnership. Barilla Americas relies on ABW to handle, store, and transport products from its U.S. manufacturing network to retail and foodservice customers. ABW won Barilla's Warehouse Partner of the Year in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
• Storck USAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner~20-year warehousing, transportation, and co-packaging partnership. ABW flexes co-packaging lines and shifts to absorb demand surges for confectionery displays (PDQs, trays, pallets, SRPs).
• CSX (rail access)minorOthersCSX rail serves the Atlanta campus and provides direct rail access at the 2500 Cobb International Blvd, 7000 Cobb International Blvd, and 1000 Union Court facilities (three doors), plus the Greenville MS facility.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves18 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NFI Industries: Family-owned, asset-based integrated 3PL offering dedicated warehousing, transportation, and value-added services across North America. Closest comparable to ABW in terms of private/family-owned governance, mix of dedicated and multi-client warehousing, and integrated trucking capability.
• Saddle Creek Logistics Services: Privately held 3PL offering warehousing, fulfillment, transportation, and co-packaging/kitting services, with significant CPG and retail customer overlap. Directly comparable to ABW's warehousing + co-packaging bundle and mid-market private positioning.
• United States Cold Storage: Privately held temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics provider serving food manufacturers and retailers across the U.S. Comparable to ABW in food-grade temperature-controlled warehousing and 3PL service mix, with similar private operating posture.
• Kenco Group: Privately held 3PL providing distribution, warehousing, transportation, and integrated supply chain solutions, with material exposure to CPG and retail customers. Comparable to ABW in mid-size private 3PL positioning and vertical service mix.

Broad incumbents

• Lineage Logistics: World's largest temperature-controlled warehouse REIT/operator. Competes with ABW in cold-chain warehousing and transportation, with substantially deeper capital, broader geographic footprint, and integrated transport offerings.
• XPO Logistics: Public LTL and transportation provider with significant North American less-than-truckload and dedicated transportation operations. Comparable to ABW via Colonial Cartage on the asset-based LTL side and on dedicated CPG capacity.
• Penske Logistics: Subsidiary of Penske Transportation Solutions offering dedicated contract carriage, warehousing, and supply chain solutions, with material CPG and retail customer base. Comparable to ABW on dedicated warehousing + transportation, but at significantly larger scale.
• Americold Logistics: Largest publicly traded temperature-controlled warehouse operator in the world (NYSE: COLD). Overlaps with ABW in temperature-controlled warehousing but is focused on frozen storage, REIT-structured, and far larger in scale and capital base.
• DHL Supply Chain: Global contract logistics leader and part of Deutsche Post DHL Group, offering warehousing, transportation, and value-added services with strong food/beverage/CPG vertical expertise. Comparable to ABW on integrated 3PL service mix but with vastly broader geographic and digital capabilities.
• Ryder Supply Chain Solutions: Public 3PL division of Ryder System providing dedicated transportation, warehousing, and supply chain solutions across North America. Competes with ABW for dedicated CPG accounts and large multi-site contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/atlantabonded

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Atlanta Bonded