Georgia-Pacific and Trackonomy bring real-time visibility to plywood shipments ahead of hurricane season

As hurricane season looms, Georgia-Pacific (GP) and Trackonomy have partnered to ensure that critical building materials arrive exactly when and where they're needed most. Through this partnership, GP is equipping plywood shipments with Trackonomy's real-time tracking technology to provide precise arrival visibility to major retailers like Home Depot and Lowe's, helping communities prepare for storms with greater speed and confidence.

When a hurricane is projected to make landfall, homeowners often have just a few days to secure their homes. That means demand for plywood spikes nearly overnight, especially in Gulf Coast regions where storm activity is expected to be intense this year. Retailers must respond immediately, often staging materials in advance and moving inventory rapidly from distribution centers to local stores.

With Trackonomy's SmartTape technology integrated into hurricane-season plywood shipments, retailers now receive real-time updates on the location and ETA of their deliveries. This allows stores to begin unloading and selling plywood directly off arriving trucks, accelerating product availability during peak demand periods.

"Every minute counts when preparing for a hurricane," said Zack Steffen, General Manager of Industrials at Trackonomy. "By using our SmartTape, we're helping to close gaps between GP and their retail partners to keep an open line of communication from plant to customer, when it matters most."

This just-in-time visibility model helps GP become an even stronger partner to home improvement retailers during times of crisis. It's designed to deliver what many now call the "Amazon effect" to the lumber supply chain: minimizing idle time, cutting guesswork, and meeting customer expectations for real-time responsiveness.

"This partnership shows how real-time visibility isn't just about efficiency, it's about resilience," said Matt Wood, Sr Business Logistic Manager at Georgia-Pacific. "When storms are on the horizon, knowing exactly when materials will arrive can make all the difference for our retail partners and more importantly, for the families and communities they serve."

The initial rollout of this initiative will focus on hurricane-related shipments of plywood to Home Depot and Lowe's. However, GP and Trackonomy are already exploring expansion into additional materials, including resin shipments, and broader shipment categories throughout the year.

This system is now fully operational and already supporting plywood shipments during this year's hurricane season, helping communities across the Gulf Coast and beyond stay one step ahead of the storms.