With the industry struggling with economic volatility, a decline in demand for physical goods, and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled technologies, warehouse/distribution operations have arrived at an inflection point. According to the Warehousing Education and Research Council’s (WERC) 23rd annual “DC Measures” report, organizations are struggling to balance their long-term business growth strategies with immediate priorities—specifically, keeping costs under control, goods flowing, and customers happy. In many cases, that’s led to a disconnect between stated business strategy and operational focus, pushing organizations to rethink how strategy translates into operational execution.
Conducted among members of WERC and readers of DC Velocity, the annual study asks respondents what metrics they use to assess their operations and how their facilities are performing against those measures. What follows is a look at some of the survey results:
ABOUT THE STUDY: The annual “DC Measures” study is produced by the Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC), a professional association for warehousing and distribution logistics managers, in partnership with DC Velocity. This year’s study was conducted by Donnie F. Williams Jr., an associate professor at the University of Arkansas, and Dr. Karl B. Manrodt, professor of logistics at Georgia College & State University. To see the full results of the 2026 survey, including performance and benchmarking data, go to https://werc.org/metrics.
