Modern Warehousing: 7 Features to Look for in Your Next Logistics Partner

In the modern rapidly changing environment of supply chain, warehousing has moved beyond warehousing alone. It is very important in terms of efficiency, cost savings, and customer satisfaction. As a retailer dealing with seasonal peaks and a manufacturer that has to distribute products globally, the right partner in warehousing will either put you on the map or usher a demise of logistics.

What, then, is the difference between an old fashioned warehouse and a new age logistics provider? These are 7 vital characteristics you would want to consider so you can find your next partner in warehousing:

Strategic Location

This also applies to warehousing where the rule is: location is everything. Warehouses that are located close to major ports, airports, highways, or industries can dramatically shorten the transit time and the cost of delivering last-mile services.

Consider it in the following way: a strategic location will not only promote your capability in serving the major markets but will provide flexibility in event of supply chain turmoil. An added advantage in case the warehouse is in the free trade zone and or close to an international clearance facility.

Advanced systems of management inventory

There are no longer pen-and-paper stock checks. Contemporary warehousing IT addresses the challenge by going live with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), to stay on top of what is going on in the warehouse in real time, manage inventory availability, and predict future demand with precision.

Seek a logistics partner that can provide:

• Scanning of barcode or RFID

• live updates on stocks

• Incorporation into your ERP or order management system

• Pre-programmed reorder minimums

Such visibility assists in stockouts minimization, over-stocking, and better management of the inventory as a whole.

Flexibility and Scalability

What you need in the warehousing picture to-day may be quite different six months hence. This is why the most important thing is scalability. An excellent warehousing partner provides options on storage and the system can increase (or decrease) with you.

Will they be able to support seasonal surge? Do they provide short term and long term solutions? Do they have an ability to store various kinds of goods- palletised goods and high value electronics?

When you introduce a new product or a market, warehousing versatility can enable your establishment to scale up with confidence.

Good Safety and Security Measures

The core of your business is your inventory. It will have to be secured around the clock.

The modern warehouse must have the following:

• Remote access CCTV surveillance

• Fire alarm and fire extinguishing systems

• Exterior access, and visitor tracking

• Fencing and security alarms

• Frequent audits and inspection of compliance

The ease of going to sleep since theft, vehicular damages, and environmental hazards are out of the picture with the safety of your goods.

Value-Added Services

Good warehousing partners who will not only store your products but who will enhance your supply chain.

Warehousing services should be sought that provide:

• Kitting and assembly

• Labelling and packaging

• Quality checks and inspection checks

• Reverse logistics management

• Transloading or cross- docking

These services, with the help of their facilitation, can streamline your operations, decrease turnaround time and offer a better client experience.

Sustainability Practices

Sustainability is not a fad, it is a business necessity. Other warehousing partners, which are environmentally conscious, are also structuring operations in view of green logistics.

Put the question before your potential partner:

• Do they have renewable energy or solar panels?

• Do they cut down on plastic consumption and packaging waste?

• What are they doing to reduce the amount of carbon emitted in the warehouse activities?

• Are they certified to be environmentally friendly?

Warehousing focused on sustainability is not only part of your corporate responsibility agenda but also a way of attracting customers who are environmentally-friendly.

7. History of Success and Honest Communication

Trustworthiness and communication is critical when you make decisions where you are entrusting your goods to a warehousing partner. Your logistics provider is expected to provide coherent service level agreements (SLAs) and periodic reporting as well as immediate resolution of problems.

Do some research on their reputation:

• Which are the industries that they have worked in?

• How much customer retention do they have?

• Do the clients have testimonials or case studies?

Your business can be remembered as an extension of business and not a service provider through the responsive team that has transparent practices.

Conclusion

It is so much more than cost per square foot when it comes to the selection process of selecting your warehousing partner. It is concerned with searching for the provider who knows what your business targets and changes alongside you and would provide something that will enhance your overall performance in logistics.

Perhaps more than ever, in a world of demanding customers, shrinking delivery times and rising performance levels, the warehousing strategy that you employ must be as modern and dynamic as it is the rest of your supply chain.

After all, as long as you match up with a warehousing partner who provides the benefits mentioned above, you are not simply warehousing goods, but developing a competitive advantage.