Looking for a warehouse to store you precious cargo? It’s not an easy task, with many factors to take into consideration.
Safety and security are of the utmost importance, since idle freight is always a main target of theives. Plus, the logistics have to benefit your supply chain as a whole.
In this blog post, we share our top 3 tips to prioritize when choosing the best warehouse services for your shipment.
Location
Location is everything when choosing a warehouse. For one, if your cargo is being stored on the way to its final destination, you’ll want to work your warehouse services into the route planning to save time and money.
Map out the warehouses that are situated close to the major transportation hubs you’ll be utilizing, such as ports, rail ramps, and highways. You want ot make it easy for trucks to get in and out quickly, without spending too much time driving through busy areas to get to the next mode of transportation.
Warehouse Management
Another highly important factor to consider is management. Warehouses are busy establishments with tons of freight moving in and out on a daily basis. It’s vital to inquire about how the warehouse you’re interested in manages supply chains.
If the answer is “technology” then you’re off to a great start. In today’s time, technology is optimizing the supply chain like never before, allowing shippers to keep up with ambitious consumer demands.
There are supply chain management programs that track freight, provide fast, real-time updates, and sends messages to operational teams automatically. This opens up visibility, so everyone is on the same page and processes are optimized.
Warehouse Security
Finally, security is always on top of the priority list, because cargo theft is a big plague on the supply chain as thieves continue to come up with savvy ways to get their sticky fingers on things.
Warehouses especially need to be vigilant, because they are responsible for hundreds of loads that are not on the move.
When choosing a warehouse, always inquire about the security measures they have in place. Once again, technology plays a pivotal role here, since there are many state-of-the-art systems available for warehouses.
Surveillance should be around the clock and tracking mechanisms put in place so all items are accounted for at any given time. Organization is also key. A messy warehouse without clear aisles makes it easy to “misplace” items.
