How Do I Choose a Warehouse Location?

To find the right warehouse location for your needs you will need to consider factors such as transport links and local infrastructure

Finding the right warehouse solution for your business needs means considering several factors with the location of the warehouse one of the most important.

Choosing the right location is crucial for several reasons, for improving the time and cost of storing and moving goods to ensuring they can be sent to the required locations.

Below, we look at the key reasons why warehouse location is so important and how you can be sure to find the right warehouse solution in the right area for your business requirements.

Local infrastructure:

When considering whether the location of a warehouse facility is right for your needs you should always research the local infrastructure.

Infrastructure needs to be state of the art in order to make the transportation and storage of goods is safe, secure and as efficient as possible.

This is certainly the case for warehouses that are located at major ports. The facilities at the port need to be modern in order to ensure cargo comes in and goes out without delay.

This also means looking at the local transport networks to see if they can facilitate the transportation of goods to and from warehouse facilities.

Transport links:

Different businesses have different requirements when it comes to transport links – some will require ports, others major motorway networks.

The best warehouse location for you will depend on what types of transport you use to move your products to and from the warehouse.

However, the best warehouse locations are those that offer excellent transport links across water, air, rail and road.

For example, our UK warehouses are located just outside of the Port of Hull, which has some of the best transport connections in the country.

They have direct access to dual carriageway roads leading to the M62 and then the M18 and the M1, which service the whole of the British Isles.

The Port of Hull is also connected to the inland waterways system which consists of 6,500 miles of rivers and canals across the UK.

What’s more, Hull is a two-hour drive from the World Freight Terminal at Manchester Airport for those that require global air shipping.

Warehouse facilities:

It is really important to consider the warehouse facility as well as where it is located. The best warehouses will be modern and use technology to improve efficiency.

It goes without saying that warehouses should be clean and tidy. They must also be well maintained to ensure they are water-tight and that goods are protected from the elements.

If you are storing perishable items such as food, you will also need a warehouse that provides temperature-controlled storage.

Finally, check if the warehouse provider holds accreditation, ideally from the BRC or AIB.

Other things to consider:

Before deciding which warehouse facility location is best for you, it is also important to think about these factors:

• Does the facility offer close proximity to your customer base and where your products will be delivered to
• Does the warehouse facility provider also offer logistics and transportation services as this can really streamline the process
• Do your products require specialised storage and if so can the warehousing company provide this to you
• Will the warehouse facility be able to meet your storage needs over time as moving from one warehouse to another can be highly disruptive

Choosing the right warehouse location can be a difficult task but by considering the factors mentioned above you can easily find the best facility to meet your needs.

If you would like to know more about warehousing, please contact a member of the Middlegate Europe team here.