Your California 3PL is costing you 30% more than it should.
Most brands cut 30% in logistics costs by moving fulfillment 6 miles from the U.S. border — without losing 1–3 day U.S. delivery. We run a bonded, Class-A facility built for brands ready to scale.
Class-A facility
accuracy
delivery
security
Move 6 miles south.
Keep California-speed delivery.
Same customer experience. The cost structure of Mexico, the delivery speed of California. Your buyer never knows the difference — your P&L does.
A facility built for brands that can't afford to compromise.
The border is invisible to your customer.
Your buyer in San Diego, LA, Phoenix, or Dallas gets the same 1–3 day delivery — with the cost structure of Mexico behind it.
Inbound to Tijuana
Bonded receiving, IMMEX-certified. We coordinate daily cross-border movements through Otay Mesa with established customs agents and carrier relationships.
Preparación de pedidos y envío
SLA-driven ops in our Class-A facility. Real-time WMS visibility. Native integrations with Shopify, Amazon, NetSuite and SPS Commerce.
Cross-Border Last Mile
Daily linehaul into San Diego injection points. UPS, FedEx, USPS and regional carriers handle final mile. Your customer sees a U.S. tracking label.
Same delivery promise. A very different invoice.
| What drives your cost | Typical California 3PL | Lateral (cross-border) |
|---|---|---|
| Logistics cost | Baseline (California labor + rent) | −30% line-item benchmark |
| U.S. delivery speed | 1–3 days | 1–3 days — identical |
| Time to go live | 6+ months DIY | 30–45 days, parallel-run |
| Contract | Multi-year lock-in | Month-to-month, 60-day exit |
| Duties | Paid upfront | Deferred via IMMEX bonded |
| Security | Varies | Class-A, CTPAT-aligned, 0 incidents |
U.S. customers reached within 1–3 business days.
Class-A infrastructure. Bank-level security.
Brand-new construction. Tilt-up concrete walls. Built to scale alongside the brands operating inside it — with an on-site guardhouse, perimeter fence, 24/7 CCTV and CTPAT-aligned procedures.
Built for the brands generic 3PLs can't handle.
Tier-1 capability across high-complexity verticals. We are not a one-size-fits-all DTC operator.
Salud y Bienestar
- FDA-aligned cold storage + lot tracking
- Tamper-evident packaging & FIFO
- Returns quarantine protocol
Beauty & Skincare
- Custom kitting, inserts, gift-with-purchase
- Climate-controlled zones for actives
- Influencer & PR seeding fulfillment
Manufacturing
- IMMEX-certified light assembly + kitting
- VMI & JIT to U.S. plants
- Service parts & aftermarket support
Productos para Mascotas
- Heavy / oversized SKU handling
- Subscription box fulfillment
- Wholesale + DTC dual channel
Electronics
- Serial-number tracking
- Caged storage + 24/7 monitoring
- Reverse logistics for warranty
Toys
- SPS Commerce / EDI integration
- Retail labeling (Target, Walmart, Amazon)
- Flex labor for Q4 surge
How one client cut 30% in logistics costs — without losing a single day in U.S. delivery.
A global DTC group operating multiple consumer brands was scaling fast but bleeding margin to fragmented logistics across carriers and 3PLs. They needed cost control without sacrificing the delivery speed their customers expected.
We migrated their fulfillment to a cross-border model integrated with Shopify and major marketplaces, layered IMMEX bonded warehousing to defer import duties, and added kitting and returns management as fully managed value-added services. The result: 30% in logistics savings, 1–3 day U.S. SLAs maintained across all zones, improved cash flow from duty deferral, and a measurable drop in order errors.
We've thought through every risk, so you don't have to.
Your operation never stops.
Parallel-run model — your current 3PL stays live throughout migration. We cut over only after your SLAs are validated and your team signs off.
We get better every quarter.
Dedicated account manager and monthly reviews. We share SLA reports, error rates and cost benchmarks proactively — the goal is to be the obvious choice to stay.
Your inventory is safer than it sounds.
Class-A bonded facility. On-site guardhouse, perimeter fence, 24/7 CCTV, CTPAT-aligned procedures. Zero security incidents to date.
The border is our home field.
We operate exclusively through Otay Mesa — the most efficient commercial crossing on the border — with vetted customs agents and daily movements. For most shipments, the border is a non-event.
Get your logistics cost audit.
We benchmark your current 3PL invoice against our rate card line-by-line, identify your real savings, and deliver a written report within 48 hours.
- No sales pitch. No high-pressure call.
- Confidential. We don't share, sell, or spam.
- If we can't beat your numbers by 20%+, we'll tell you.
- Report includes: line-item benchmark, savings model, migration plan.
Request received.
Thanks — our senior fulfillment team will send your written cost audit within 48 hours.
The 6 questions every brand asks before making the move.
Lateral operates under IMMEX and bonded warehouse programs that defer duties until export. We do no promise Section 321 — that's a different model. Our value comes from operational cost (labor, warehousing, overhead), not tax arbitrage. Tariff policy changes don't change our core economics.
We coordinate cross-border logistics exclusively through Otay Mesa — the most efficient commercial crossing on the California-Mexico border — with vetted customs agents and established carrier relationships. For most shipments, the border adds no meaningful delay to your SLA.
No. Final mile is handled by U.S. carriers (UPS, FedEx, USPS, regional) from our San Diego injection point. The tracking label is U.S. domestic. Your customer experience is identical to a California-based 3PL.
Class-A facility, on-site security guardhouse, perimeter fence, 24/7 CCTV with cloud backup, badge-access zones. CTPAT-aligned. Standard inventory insurance coverage included. Zero security incidents in our operating history. Site visits available for due diligence.
Standard onboarding for most brands: 30–45 days (vs. 6+ months DIY). Includes WMS integration, SOP design, labor onboarding, and a parallel-run period during which your current 3PL stays live.
Month-to-month available for qualified accounts. No multi-year lock-ins. 60-day exit clause. We earn the renewal every quarter — that's the model.
Fulfillment's next decade will be built closer to the customer — not further away.
Smart brands are already designing supply chains for the world that's coming: faster, leaner, closer to the border. Start with a free, no-pressure look at your numbers.
Claim my free cost audit