The search for the ideal warehouse can be tricky. It’s a dilemma that we see small business owners, construction companies, students, and even research labs struggle with.
Yet, the answer almost always starts with picking the right provider—you can work out the rest from there.
But you might be wondering: what are the key features to look for in a warehouse storage provider?
Well, if that’s the case, you just happen to be in the right place!
In this article, we’ll break down the various features that matter when considering warehouse storage providers.
9 Key Features to Look for in a Warehouse Storage Provider
Let’s look at the top factors that come into play.
1. Has Multiple Reachable Locations
Location is a box that you must check when picking a warehouse storage provider. If this point misses the mark, it might just render all the other features useless.
In fact, stats show that $4.3 billion or 265 million hours of labor are wasted every year on unnecessary motions. Imagine the money you save by picking a warehouse provider with wide coverage!
First off, you have to consider where your products or items are going next after leaving the warehouse.
Will you send them to another location? Or distribute them to multiple locations? Will there be frequent shipments to the warehouse?
The closer the warehouse is to where the items are going next, the better the savings. Plus, it could be useful to check how close the location is to land routes, airports, railways, and ports.
Another aspect to consider is whether the location is accessible to trucks and other means of transportation.
2. Offers Suitable Dimension Options
Dimensions can be a particularly important aspect if you’ll move medical or construction equipment, machinery, or furniture.
In this case, we’d recommend asking the provider about the bay size, ceiling heights, and dock doors.
Bay Size
When dealing with large items or equipment, you need to consider how the bay size affects storage efficiencies and rack abilities.
Make sure that the provider has warehouses with a bay size range that suits your items. Otherwise, you may need to need more racks or storage space, which will ultimately accumulate costs for you!
Dock Doors
Ask yourself how many doors the provider’s warehouse selection offers and what type they are. Are they the right height and width? Are the dock doors close enough to the storage area?
You’ll find four main types: sectional, knockout, rolling, and high-speed doors.
Sectional (paneled) doors are more or less the standard. Some of them are automated, so you can open and close them with a click. Overall, they’re low maintenance and can handle heavy-duty operations, which is why they can be a good fit for industrial setups.
Knockout doors are the next upgrade if you’re looking for more durability. They’re basically sectional doors but modified for flexibility on contact. Did you know that they can be knocked back into place in the case of an accident?
Rolling doors, on the other end, are the best if you’re looking for lightweight operation. Those bad boys are usually made of steel or aluminum. However, if you need insulation or solid security, they might not be the ideal pick.
Finally, high-speed doors are the most time-efficient—hence, their name. They’re typically made of vinyl and tend to look better! That’s why some people prefer them for customer-facing setups.
Ceiling Height
Ceiling height is a crucial feature if you’re storing and moving equipment that measures higher than ten feet tall.
In most cases, you won’t have an issue with ceiling height. Yet, it’s always safer to ask your provider about their height limits.
3. Doesn’t Neglect Climate Control
You’ll know how important it is for a warehouse provider to care about climate-controlled storage if you even need to put aside some hardware or high-value furniture.
Items that need temperature control include artwork, antique wood furniture, and other valuables.
You might want to keep these at around 35% and 65% humidity and a temperature between 60 and 80 °F, but every piece is a different story. So make sure to discuss the conditions with your provider.
4. Has Transparent Pricing
Sure, the upfront price of a warehouse might not be so high. Yet, you still need to account for the renting duration. After all, costs can accumulate before you know it.
Not to mention, you have to consider distribution and forwarding costs, operational costs, and other service fees.
Either way, you’ll want a provider with transparent pricing structures. Otherwise, you’ll find expenses popping up left and right!
5. Caters to Long-term Storage
A word of advice: before deciding whether a specific warehouse storage provider is suitable for you, get to know the storage terms and models.
Some providers only offer short-term storage, while others, like OnDemand Storage, provide long-term services.
6. Gives Your Business Room for Scalability
If you’re running a business, you need a space that’s scalable enough for when the business booms yet flexible enough for when you need to downsize. That’s a tough balance, but it’s not impossible to find.
Just remember to take into account the seasonality of your field, and don’t forget all the fluctuations as well as possible business expansions.
It’s also worth mentioning that scaling down or up with the same warehouse provider can be a cost-efficient way to operate.
7. Doesn’t Shy Away from Advanced Support
Plenty of the services out there are automated digitally, which gives you a degree of transparency.
Look into the online security that your warehouse provider has in place if you’re using online services to track real-time stock inventories.
It’s also handy to get in business with a provider with robust customer service. You’ll be thankful when you have an urgent question!
8. Has Thorough Insurance, Safety, and Security Policies
Apart from digital safety, you should double-check that the safety measures on the premises of the actual warehouse align with your own.
That’s not all. Make sure that you understand your provider’s insurance policy. It could be helpful to understand their Business Continuity Plan for disaster recovery.
9. Offers Service Models That Suit Your Needs
It’s hard to tell which warehouse provider can accommodate your storage needs before diving deep into your requirement list.
That said, you can look for multiple services such as pick/pack, Out of Gauge services, bonded storage, and order fulfillment.
Pick/pack
Pick and pack fulfillment is when a customer places an order, and the warehouse system uses a list to fetch the product from its location in the storage space.
Typically, this type of service is handy when you’re running an online store.
Out of Gauge
OOG is key if you work with large items like furniture or machinery.
When a piece is marked as too big for a six-sided shipping container, they’re called OOG and need special handling from the storage provider.
Bonded Storage
A bonded warehouse is where you can store dutiable goods without paying the duty. This service can be a nifty feature if you’re in an export business.
That’s why you might want to look for an accredited warehouse with Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) status and ISO standards. These labels help verify that the warehouse is well-managed and up to the task.
Order Fulfillment
Order fulfillment is when the warehouse storage provider receives and processes goods before distributing them to customers.
Final Thoughts
By now, you should be able to narrow down the factors to a list that matters to your storage needs.
Consider the type of items you’re going to store and ship, how fast you need the process to be, and what guarantees you can’t operate without.
Once you have those in mind, it becomes a lot easier to pick a warehouse storage provider.
Get in touch to see how OnDemand Storage can help cut the hassle out of the equation!
