If you are looking for a warehouse to store or distribute your manufactured goods, there are lot of factors that you need to contemplate. Almost all businesses in U.S. have started to outsource their warehousing needs to make sure that the products are stored safely. With the increasing demand of warehouse facilities, finding the one that adequately accommodates your needs can be quite a challenge.
Listed below are some of the things you should take into account while signing a warehouse agreement: - Storage Period And Charges: The duration for which you need to store the goods should be clearly mentioned in the warehouse agreement. You may be charged according to the space occupied in the warehouse or the number of packages. All these details should be discussed beforehand with the warehouse management and stay in effect throughout the lease duration.
- Usable Space: Depending upon the type of goods you want to store, you may want to lease a specific amount of space within the warehouse. Make sure the exact square footage area is included in the agreement. Many business owners make the mistake of calculating this space by considering the total area of the exterior of the facility. Instead, you should take into account only the space used inside the warehouse.
- Floor Load Limitations: If your require storage of bulky goods or heavy machinery, make sure you clarify with the staff if there are any floor load limitations. The warehouse agreement should clearly state the approximate weight that can be handled by the foundation without causing any sort of damage.
- Handling: This clause in the agreement should mention the charges related to other services provided by the warehouse staff. These may include unloading goods in the warehouse, storing and packaging them for further transportation, inventory management and reporting, product labeling etc. Though most of these costs are included in the overall monthly warehouse charges, you may need to pay an additional fee for certain services such as handling and storing goods after the normal business hours, providing packaging materials, compiling stock statements etc.
- Safety Of Goods: The warehouse agreement should also have a clear mention of the measures to be followed to ensure safety of your stored goods. For instance, if you need to store hazardous chemicals, the warehouse must be fully equipped with fire extinguishers and offer fireproof packaging material for goods. Check for all these details before you sign the agreement.
No matter you choose a public, private or contract warehouse, make sure you read the agreement carefully to avoid any sort of hassles in the long run.
