What To Look For In A Warehouse
With the polarity of warehousing, it would be confusing to know which one to entrust your warehousing needs. If you own a business and you need to use storage facilities for your goods, warehousing solutions might be something you’re looking for. From surplus goods storage, inventory management to supply chain management and successful order dispatch, warehousing plays a constitutive role from the very start.
Even giant e-commerce service company Amazon developed highly effective organizational management strategies within warehouse services. In other words, whether small or big, any business with an e-commerce or retail component can be benefited from warehousing services.
At Zip Logistics, we will offer you control over how much you want them to handle your business. However, it’s not always easy to match the requirement with the desired warehousing solution.
So, what specific considerations should you look for in a warehouse?
Location
When you are looking for a warehouse to store your goods, location is the first priority. Since you’re going for convenience, choose a warehouse that is near and inside the city. Nearby storage will save you transportation costs and a lot of time in the process.
Warehouse Size or Space
Ceiling height and the door size of the warehouse should also be your concern when you’re opting for warehouse storage. Especially if you have large industrial equipment to keep, the height and width of the warehouse will have effects on its efficiency to store them in. So try to take a good measurement idea of the respected warehouse you’re going to choose.
In terms of space, determine how much space you need for your goods before you book a warehouse. Warehouse rent and energy bills don’t come cheap, so there’s no reason to take excessive space if not necessary.
Time Period of Storage
You have to consider the time for how long you are going to store and keep your goods. Are you planning to stock the goods for the long term or just the short term? Warehouses and their cost vary depending on the time period, and you should choose according to your need.
Security
It’s a no-brainer that security is one of the important factors when it comes to choosing a warehouse and keeping all your valuables in it. Warehouses that take security seriously, have well-trained guards and 24 hours CCTV coverage. Look for those and any other available security facilities warehouses might offer, till you’re convinced that your goods will be in safe hands.
Cost
Cost is another great factor to consider when you are looking for a warehouse. Price has a direct influence on your business and more than often, it dictates the final decision. Try to find a warehouse that fulfills your needs and also offers a reasonable cost structure.
Accessibility or Convenience
A good warehouse should be placed in a manner where it is accessible from major highways and large streets. Since you will be distributing a lot of components, the warehouse will have to become a major distribution center where you don’t have to worry about easy access. So try to avoid warehouses that are difficult to get to, or have limited access to highways.
Proximity
When you are storing goods in a warehouse, they are intended to be taken out and allocated elsewhere at some point. It is most convenient if the warehouse is close to whichever shipping point you use; whether it’s air, railways, or ports, or just a local point. It will also save you a great deal of time if you can choose a warehouse nearest to the shipping point.
City or State Ordinances
There are rules and regulations that vary in different states and cities. When you are choosing your desired warehouse for use, make sure to ask the laws that go around there. Some of them may have rules about limited truck use, types of goods you are allowed to store, or maximum cargo weight, and others.
Temperature Control
If you have perishable goods like chilled food, frozen food, pharmaceutical resources to store for a short term, you want a warehouse that has temperature control. Properly controlled refrigerated warehousing can store your goods, keep them safe and fresh for your desired period of time.
Warehouse Monitoring System
For further concern, the warehouse monitoring system is another option you can show your interest in. In most cases, warehouse monitoring is applied to meet the regulatory requirements of the stored goods, as well as a quality assurance procedure.
It is basically monitoring power failure, the temperature, and the humidity of the internal storage. In case any of them fails to operate, the authorities are alerted immediately to take action. If you feel like your storage needs this kind of security where you can stay updated and relaxed about the goods, you can opt for warehouses that have monitoring services.
Many businesses need a temporary storage or warehousing facility. If you are in the shipping industry, or a manufacturer, you’ll have to store your materials from time to time for business purposes. And you have to look for a warehousing or logistics company that can take care of your storage needs.