US Based Warehousing and Distribution Companies
US based warehouses and distribution companies have been the mainstay of the distribution industry in the United States. They are an integral part of the supply chain and play an important role in keeping the country's economy running smoothly. US companies can either purchase goods in a warehouse or distribute them to various points of the country using various modes. A company that has both functions will be categorized as multi warehouse. This means it will have a warehouse facility and a distribution facility.
The warehousing of goods happens in two distinct forms. It can be home warehousing or shipping and transportation, which is common among companies that have neither of these functions. Home warehousing involves storing raw materials in a warehouse and shipping goods from the facility to the customer on demand. Shipping and transportation on the other hand involves moving the goods by trucks, trains or cargo ships.
Most US companies engaged in warehousing and distribution have smaller warehouses to start with and expand later as their business becomes more developed. This allows them to make room for more warehouses as demand increases. fulfillment are usually family owned and operated and so are termed small scale. Companies involved in warehousing and distribution that have more than two locations are usually multi-owned and operate on a national basis.
Warehouses vary in size and capacity depending on the warehousing requirements of the companies. Large companies often outsource warehousing requirements to companies that specialize in this function. These companies have specialized staff that specializes in warehousing requirements and have warehouses that can store a wide range of products. This ensures that companies have adequate space to store products while they are moving them to various points of the country.
Distribution is mostly done on trucks or trains and is very common in the manufacturing area. Warehouses are useful when it comes to warehousing and distribution because they can store a large number of products that cannot be moved on trucks or stored in warehouses on a consistent basis. This enables companies to save on transportation costs that can increase the cost of making and distributing a product. A warehouse will also ensure that products are available when needed because the storage facility will keep products in the optimum condition possible.
There are many different types of warehousing and distribution. It usually depends on what type of product you are distributing. If you are going to distribute perishable goods, then warehousing and distribution may require refrigeration. If you are in the manufacturing area, then warehousing and distribution would entail dry storage. These conditions include temperature control to ensure that no harmful chemicals are released into the atmosphere and humidity controlled to protect from mold and mildew.
Most warehousing and distribution companies will provide training to their clients on how their facilities operate and how to maintain the optimum environment to keep their products fresh and protect them from damage. The average warehousing and distribution warehouse will hold about twenty-five thousand products. Of course there are companies that specialize in very specific types of warehousing and distribution. Some of the most common types are refrigerated warehousing and dry storage.
Companies are going to need to determine which warehousing and distribution technique is best for them based on the types of products they distribute and the space that they have available for their warehouse. If a company only needs to have a small amount of products distributed, they may only need a low volume warehouse. A warehouse with sufficient space will be able to hold thousands of products while saving the company money because they won't have to pay for shipping costs. Another option is a high volume warehouse that will be able to handle a larger amount of products with less effort. When setting up a warehouse, it is important to understand the amount of space that is available and to choose the appropriate style of warehouse to fit your business. Contact a warehousing and distribution company to learn more about their services.