Tips For Choosing A Public Warehouse

Many businesses are opting for public warehouses due to the flexibility, convenience and affordability they offer. The clients are charged according to the volume of goods stored, warehouse area occupied and the services availed. Though a public warehouse often serves the purpose of short term storage during high demand seasons, choosing the one that fits your needs is important.  

Here are some tips that can help you choose the right warehouse services for your business:

• Thorough Location Analysis: It is essential that you choose a public warehouse that is located within close proximity of your operations facility. The area should also have a good access to major rail and ocean ports. If your goods have a regional consumer base, you can choose a warehouse at a central location between the manufacturing plant and the market.
• Visit The Site: You should personally visit the warehouse site to examine the level of cleanliness, maintenance and security in the facility. Notice the working of the management and employees as well as the general work culture of the warehouse. Make sure that all the work is managed in a streamlined manner.
• Assess Storage Capabilities: The warehouse you choose should be well-equipped with the latest technology to maintain your company’s inventory and supply chain. For instance, if you need to store food grade items or harmful chemicals, make sure they have the necessary systems support to keep your goods safe till the time they are dispatched to the destination.
• Look For Room To Expand: Although public warehousing needs are usually short term, you should always ascertain that the facility has room for expansion in case you need to expand your inventory. Moving to a new warehouse each time you increase the volume of goods can be quite tedious and expensive. Therefore, you must ask the executives about the warehouse space they can offer at present as well in future, if you plan to expand your business.
• Check References: While evaluating a public warehouse, it is best to check for independent references from the company’s existing and previous customers. Ask them about their experience working with the company, how well their products were handled and any issues they have come across. It is better to talk to clients who have somewhat similar storage requirements as yours.

Choosing a public warehouse involves a lot more than simply looking for a place to store your products. You should pick a facility that offers a combination of professionalism and significant experience to handle your business needs efficiently.

Advantages Of Multi-Client Warehousing

Multi-client warehousing allows different businesses to use a single warehouse where they can share their assets and resources. It can act as a perfect solution for smaller companies that require limited storage space. It allows sharing of the costs of space, labor and equipment, thus reducing the overall expenses of the company. It provides a wide range of options without investing in staff or equipment. It enables you to fulfill your individual requirements.

Given below are various advantages of multi-client warehousing:

• Flexibility –Multi client-warehousing offers more flexibility to smaller companies who have varying storage needs. It is beneficial for those companies who deal with companies who have fluctuating demands or seasonal products. It does not offer a long term contract which makes it beneficial for the companies who have short term goals.
• Reduce costs-. If you are sharing your space with another business, this means that the  expenses including the labor and operational cost are also divided among all the clients. You need not pay for any extra space but only for the one which is used for your business. The additional cost required for services such as specialized tools, equipment or packing services is not borne by single user, but distributed between clients.  
• Improves service and efficiency: Logistics experts use analytic tools to manage the warehouses. Professional, experienced and knowledgeable staff helps in managing the inventory efficiently. The improved service also enables to have a quick access to markets.
• Decreased risk and burden: In a single end user there are more risks involved related to insurance, pensions, real estate, and systems. Burden is also reduced due to division of responsibilities between clients in multi-client warehousing.
• Occasional specialty needs: There are some manufacturers who have  specific needs for the equipment or capabilities such as rail access, secondary package capabilities or certain material handling equipment  which may be  required occasionally. Multi-client warehousing ensures higher utilization of such resource by multiple users. 

Multi-client warehousing has many benefits and can act as a logical solution for business storage and distribution needs.