ALASKA: EXTREME LOGISTICS
of service centers, and expanded our multi-modal service offerings across the state. We move about 400 million tons annually to, from, and within Alaska.” Span Alaska built the largest freight service center of its kind in Anchorage in 2019. The service center has 88 dock doors, the capacity to handle high volumes of dry and refrigerated products, and includes a large yard speci cally designed for the loading and unloading of oversized freight onto atbeds. The company also recently expanded its Chill and Freeze service to provide reliable replenishment of perishable products including fresh and frozen food, beverages, and medical/ pharmaceutical supplies. The planned improvements at the Port of Alaska will help to ensure that goods move ef ciently into Southcentral Alaska and beyond. They will also create the infrastructure to support the next generation of larger vessels. Despite the logistics challenges the state presents, Johnson is con dent of Span Alaska’s ability to overcome them. “Alaska’s size and remoteness can make reliable transportation a challenge for all providers,” he says. “Add the harsh weather and lack of infrastructure, including roads, and the complications increase. We pride ourselves on nding a solution—using a combination of modes and equipment—to deliver to the key population centers and even the most remote bush villages and North Slope communities. Our job is to support our customers’ businesses by making the Alaska supply chain reliable and routine.” SUPPORTING JUST IN TIME The shortage of large warehouse facilities and distribution centers in the state means that many retailers and manufacturers employ a just-in-time delivery model, as there isn’t enough space to store products for long periods. As a result, Johnson says, companies that need to move freight in Alaska count on consistent and reliable transportation to keep store shelves stocked and operations running smoothly.
To that end, Span Alaska offers a Destination Direct service. Shipments are loaded into containers at the company’s consolidation center in Auburn, Washington, which is close to the Port of Tacoma and SeaTac airport. These containers travel directly to one of Span Alaska’s six service centers in Alaska, with no stop-offs, devanning, or rehandling. “This provides consistently fast transit times, reduces costly delays
WEATHERING THE STORMS (AND MORE) Alaska presents more than its share of topographical and climate challenges for logistics providers. Here are a few: Water Bodies The Yukon River, almost 2,000 miles long, is the third longest river in the United States. There are more than 3,000 rivers in Alaska and over three million lakes. The largest, Lake Iliamna, encompasses over 1,000 square miles. Glaciers Alaska has an estimated 100,000 glaciers, ranging from tiny cirque glaciers to huge valley glaciers. There are more active glaciers and ice elds in Alaska than in the rest of the inhabited world. The largest glacier is the Malaspina at 850 square miles. Glaciers cover 5% of the state, or 29,000 square miles. Coastline Alaska has 6,640 miles of coastline and, including islands, 33,904 miles There are more than 70 potentially active volcanoes in Alaska. Several have erupted in recent times. The most violent volcanic eruption of the century took place in 1912 when Novarupta Volcano erupted, creating the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, which is now part of Katmai National Park. Earthquakes On March 27, 1964, North America’s strongest recorded earthquake, with a moment magnitude of 9.2, rocked central Alaska. Each year Alaska has approximately 5,000 earthquakes, including 1,000 that measure above 3.5 on the Richter scale. Of the 10 strongest earthquakes ever recorded in the world, three have occurred in Alaska. Source: Alaska.gov, ocial website of the State of Alaska of shoreline. Volcanoes
and reduces handling that may result in product damage,” Johnson says. “We also offer a Keep From Freezing service in the winter months,” he adds. “Using insulated containers and customized routing, products that can be damaged by cold temperatures—such as paint—can travel throughout Alaska year-round.” TAKING ON CHALLENGES “Alaska is a big state, but a small town.” While the identity of the author has been lost to time, this sentiment is shared by all those who possess the fortitude, the adventurousness, the skill—and the equipment—to take on the logistics challenges of the Frontier State, also known as the gateway to the world. Logistics providers charged with conquering the state’s formidable challenges and bringing manufacturers and retailers closer to their customers contribute to the fact that, in Alaska, products and those who need them are close enough, no matter how far away. n Span Alaska expanded its Chill and Freeze delivery service to provide reliable replenishment of perishable products.
66 Inbound Logistics • April 2025
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