One of the most important parts of a 3PL relationship is having your product shipped stored in a location that’s best suited for safe storage and quick shipments. The right warehouse location makes sure that your goods are readily available to ship quickly, and are stored safely until your customers order it.
Finding the best area for a 3PL warehouse location is more than just picking a location on a map. A company needs some in-depth analysis about the area, the costs involved, and other variables that affect a warehouse’s operation.
Selecting A Warehouse Location
One of the first stages it to identify the company’s objectives and requirements. This will include why a company is considering a warehouse, as well as what they need in a location. Other objectives may include what type of goods the warehouse will store, and how the new warehouse and location will best suit its customers.
A company planning to build needs to review a wide range of factors that will directly affect their warehouse. These include:
- Proximity to the ports and other points of entry—how close will it be to a seaport, airport, or train depot?
- Supply—this includes overseas imports, local manufacturing, and amount of inventory that might need storage.
- Demand—is there a need for a warehouse here? What kinds of products are being stored and shipped out? Will the facility have the means to store and take care of these goods?
- Dry goods, such as books, and refrigerated food items, will have different storage and shipping requirements. This is a consideration when planning the warehouse facility.
- Availability—what kind of real estate is available, and at what price?
- Available Local Infrastructure—How do these goods transport in and out? Does it need to be near an airport, seaport, or train transport? Or will the primary method of transport be trucking, and the rest unnecessary?
- Available labor—is there an available and suitable workforce in the area, or will workers have to commute long distances from other areas?
- Local Regulations and Policies—will a 3PL warehouse be welcomed, or would there be issues with locating to this area?
After the company grades and analyzes these factors, the company can make a decision on where to build a new warehouse for its 3PL operations.
How Many Warehouses Does A 3PL Company Need?
It depends on how many customers need additional warehouse storage, demand, and where they’re located.
Having one warehouse location on one side of the US is great for customers in that geographic area, or for those who have shipments that go through the closest port (such as Los Angeles, an hour from our headquarters in Rancho Cucamonga.)
But if a company’s customers have shipments arriving at another point of entry on the east coast, the gulf coast, or other part of the country, a 3PL company may decide that another warehouse facility that serves its customers in other areas better may be in its best interests.
3PL Worldwide Is On Both Coasts
We have warehouses in both California and Connecticut to give our customers bicoastal warehouse availability. No matter where your shipments arrive from, we have the facilities to store them, ready for your customers’ orders.
3PL WorldWide has the resources and equipment to handle your entire supply chain from start to finish. Contact us at (877) 444-0002 or use our online contact form to discuss how we can help your company’s needs.