Selecting a warehouse for your business requires checking a lot of factors depending on the purpose, and you’re your business offerings. It involves substantial investment and forms a critical part of your business strategy.
So, if you are in the process of purchasing the best Warehousing Services, you must keep in mind the mentioned top criteria – these will help you in finalizing the warehouse more aptly and conveniently.
Checkpoints for Selecting a Warehouse
Your Product
The most vital and primary thing that you should consider is the purpose for which you are renting or purchasing the warehouse. What are your products and will the warehouse meet the specifications for it? Does it need any refrigerator? What’s the size of the warehouse, and is it apt for your products? Do you deal with fragile items, and is the warehouse well-equipped to store such items? Do you deal with dangerous goods, which can be hazardous? Is any insurance required for your products and is the warehouse insured accordingly?
Think about all the specifications that you will need for storing your products in the warehouse and re-confirm that the warehouse meets all of them.
The Layout of the Building
The design of a warehouse impacts the operations that you are planning to conduct within it to a great extent. Factors like the height of the ceiling, as well as column spacing, can confine the type of equipment which you can accommodate in the specified space. It can also cause a problem in the movement of raw materials and finished products.
So, before you decide on any warehouse, check the layout and understand the channels and process of inflow and outflow of goods. In case you are building a warehouse, you can speak to your builder about your requirements and the types of equipment that you are planning to bring, and he can help you to plan the layout accordingly.
Quality and Availability of Workforce
If you do not have sufficient skilled labor, you may end up in trouble – the reason why in spite of getting warehouses at low price in remote locations, some businesses do not prefer it. If you are planning to shift base of your trained labors, remember that it will involve extra cost.
And in case you are outsourcing the service, then make sure that the company which handles your workforce has a robust business plan in place. And they can meet your emergency needs without causing any disturbance to your business flow.
Transportation and Communication
Proximity with major transport systems such as roads and highways are vital as it decides the amount of time your goods will take to reach the desired location from your warehouse. It also impacts the time the raw materials, your dealers, suppliers and your employees will take to reach the warehouse.
Apart from road transport, is there any other means of transportation that you need to use frequently? If yes, then accordingly you have to decide if the warehouse should be closer to ports, or airports, or railway stations.
The decision of the mode of transport depends on the goods you are dealing with. For instance, you will prefer railways more than truck if you deal with highly perishable items.
Inventory Management
A warehouse is not just a place where you dump your goods. You need to have a proper plan placing the raw materials, the finished products correctly in an organized manner. Otherwise, it can only cause damage to the items, but it can also create a chaos and increase your task.
A warehouse should have separate spaces for storing different types of materials, for handling equipment, and staging. See if you need an internal dock or cross-docks, and check if there’s sufficient storage facility.
Government Policies
Before deciding on the warehouse, you need to understand the neighbourhood and the local systems of that place. Certain locations have restrictions on storing specific goods, and some offers tax benefits, so check these to avoid any problems in the future.
