Warehousing
Is your business growing to the point of needing storage for your product?
If you are looking to build a solid supply chain, you need a reliable storage solution. Warehousing allows the storage of products for later use and affects everything from sourcing materials, managing inventory to ensuring orders are delivered on time.
Thanks to the constant growth of technology, urbanization, and the rapid growth of the e-commerce space, the benefit of having warehousing for your business goes beyond simply storing your products.
With nearly five thousand warehouses across Canada (Source), you will easily find a warehousing solution that will fit your needs, regardless of the size of your business.
Throughout this article, we will break down each part of the criteria to consider when choosing a warehousing solution and more.
What Is a Warehouse?
Warehousing entails storing products and goods for later distribution while also safely and securely storing and tracking them in an organized way. Warehousing solutions can be for small home businesses or large, well-established businesses.
What Are The Functions of a Warehouse?
Warehousing function is to store products before they are moved to another location or sent to the end-user. However, there are some additional functions warehousing performs that enhance the logistics and storage process, those being:
Assembly Line
If the products you receive from your distributor or manufacturer are disassembled, you can allot a space within the warehouse to assemble the product before shipping them to the end-user.
Shipment Hub
If your warehouse is placed strategically, they can act as shipping hubs that receive shipments until they are moved to other storage facilities across the country.
Rental Storage Space
If your warehouse is too large for your current needs, you can rent out sections to other businesses to ensure you aren’t wasting space and spending additional funds on something you aren’t using.
What to Consider When Choosing a Warehousing Solution
When choosing which warehousing solution will best fit your business, there are many considerations you must take into account to ensure you are selecting the best option. When looking for the right warehousing solution, be sure to think over the following point, so you find one that is right for you.
Location of the Warehouse
Choosing the correct location of your warehouse comes down to the needs of your business.
If you plan to be store a large number of products for a prolonged period, you can use a more cost-effective choice in rural locations or facilities near a transportation hub.
If you plan on turning over products quickly and shipping frequently, you’ll want a warehouse near your end-users, like in a city or urban area. The closer you are to your end-users, the faster you can deliver them.
If your end-users do not all live within a similar location, a warehouse located in a more central will allow you to reach more areas.
How Many Warehouses Does Your Business Need?
When choosing a warehousing solution for your business, you shouldn’t just be thinking about your business’s current state but also any scaling that may occur in the future. The larger your business grows, the more complex your logistic needs will become.
It is essential to optimize your supply chain and reduce shipping costs early on by considering the size and location when choosing a warehousing solution. If you are frequently shipping to areas far from your warehouse, you will pay more in shipping costs and extending transit times. Having multiple warehouses in different locations will ensure you will pay less on shipping, leading to high end-user satisfaction.
Inventory Management
Regardless of whether you plan to manage your warehouse or have the supply chain management process fulfilled by a third party, technology is a significant factor that ensures proper warehouse management and operations.
Inventory management software automates the order fulfillment process and brings together shipments, inventory info, orders, logistics, and end-users to streamline the process.
The system will connect to your sales channel, informing warehouse workers to begin picking, all while being recorded before tracking information is sent to the end-user.
Value-Added Services
If you are looking for a warehousing solution that provides services beyond the traditional picking, packing, and shipping services, seek out a company like FlexSpace Logistics. We will also handle things like kitting and assembly, cross-docking, temperature-controlled storage, or whatever other services you may need.
Warehousing is an essential part of the logistic process, so finding one that will suit your needs ensures you conduct business as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. Take the time to find the right choice for your business by using the criteria listed above.
At FlexSpace Logistics, we offer warehousing solutions across Canada. Regardless of your business needs, we are you have something for you that is also in the vicinity of your central location. When you work with us, you can feel at ease knowing that we handle each product with care during the storage logistics manner, so your products are stored and shipped in a fast, efficient, and care-conscious way.
If you’d like to get started, get a quote today, or contact one of our FlexSpace Logistics advisors to find the right solution for your business at 1-844-985-3539.
