For many businesses, warehouse services are essential. From manufacturers to wholesalers to exporters and importers, these types of companies require large spaces to store goods before selling and re-distributing them.
But, aside from giving you the space you need to store consignments, effective warehousing services allow you to establish a successful logistics strategy that can actually help increase your business’ productivity and profit. With expert handlers, specialist fleets and cutting-edge technology, warehousing services can optimise your entire supply chain. So, it’s well worth the investment.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at five key benefits of warehousing services. Read on to find out more.
Simplify and speed up your shipping process
Warehouses are ideally placed in central locations that allow for easy access to docks, motorways and other main transport links. The benefit of this is twofold:
- Consignments can be sorted and stored, quickly and efficiently. Even items that are under strict time constraints can be handled swiftly.
- Once goods have been sold and are ready for distribution, they can easily be shipped out across the entire UK.
Specialist fleets are included in warehouse services too. They are on hand to take care of consignment collection and delivery to the warehouse. So, it’s one less worry for you to think about.
Once a shipment arrives for storage, a team of expert handlers oversees all necessary procedures from start to finish. That means identifying, unpacking, sorting, packaging and, finally, dispatching your products. Everything is managed for you.
Minimise the risk of damaged goods
It isn’t always possible to hold your stock on-site, whether it’s down to a lack of space or the conditions not being ideal for the preservation of the goods. Warehouses give you ample space to store all your products in one place and are purpose-built to protect your stock.
Whatever the specific requirements for storage are, warehouses are best placed to meet your needs. From advanced temperature control systems that maintain the quality of your products to 24/7 CCTV security, which ensures they are not damaged or stolen, warehousing is a great way to protect your goods and, ultimately, your profit.
Also, managing the full process from unloading to re-distribution at one secure location – a warehouse – means there’s no need to transport consignments from place to place. This, in turn, reduces the risk of damage to the products whilst in transit.
Ensure product availability all year-round
Some goods, such as agricultural produce, can only be produced or distributed at certain times of the year. This can cause a frustrating stop-start effect on your supply chain, drastically reducing cost efficiencies and productivity overall.
However, warehouses allow you to accumulate products in a safe environment. You can anticipate market demand, produce goods ahead of distribution time and safely store them until they need to be shipped out. The result is that production won’t be interrupted and, instead, you will have a continuous supply accessible at all times.
Get increased visibility on your stock
With state-of-the-art logistics technology, consignment tracking and traceability has never been so easy. Warehouse service teams integrate advanced logistics technologies into their work so that you can get a complete 360-view of your inventory and shipping processes.
In the short-term, having these tools in place helps you to:
- Ensure consignments are being collected, stored and re-distributed efficiently.
- Identify and remove any products with defects from your supply chain.
- Know when an item is out of stock and needs replenishing.
In the long-term, being able to manage and track shipping processes allows you to forecast the next steps your business should take to optimise your supply chain and grow profitability.
Save money and make some more too!
The four benefits we’ve already discussed are probably more than enough to demonstrate the value of investing in warehouse services. From reduced distribution costs to faster, smoother shipping, using warehouses to store your goods is a sure way to boost your business’ cash flow.
However, we wanted to share one more benefit with you: expand your business confidently. As your supply chain efficiency increases and client demand rises, your next thoughts will be on business scalability. Warehouses provide you with all the space you need throughout the year, so you can speed up production as fast as you like, without having to worry about where to store your goods.
If you’d like to optimise your business’ logistics strategy and supply chain, Forest Freight is here to help. Speak to one of our expert team members today about our warehousing solutions.
