As industries today continue to segment themselves into more well-defined niches, their needs become more specific as well. As a result, and not surprisingly, companies needing warehousing and storage assistance look for solutions tailored to the unique challenges of their industry.
Outsourcing Warehousing Services
Building a warehouse and hiring/training staff is a huge investment that companies often don’t have the resources for. Instead, many turn to the warehousing and storage industry for help.
In some cases, providers specialize in storing a particular type of product. Pharmaceuticals, batteries, and cleaning supplies are examples of products having specific storage safety requirements. The ability to refrigerate or freeze products is also a requirement in some instances.
However, even if they don’t specialize in a certain type of storage, a flexible warehousing partner can work with you to create a customized warehousing solution and function as a seamless extension of your business. Some of the additional benefits of outsourcing warehousing and distribution include value-added services and future expansion capability.
Understanding Warehousing Activities
Professional warehousing partners are experts in warehousing regardless of the industry or product of the client. They take full responsibility for using warehousing methods that ensure that stored goods are safe and protected.
Warehousing and distribution partners also offer other services including logistics and supply chain management. Warehousing experts are skilled at accommodating customer needs, while other providers may lack the core competencies involved in warehousing including employing a trained workforce, having adequate space, and understanding industry demands around timely fulfillment and shipping.
Why Industry Doesn’t Matter for Skilled Warehousing Partners
Crossover Best Practices
While a skilled warehouse team may not have experience in your niche industry, it’s likely they have clients with similar needs and challenges in other industries. Plus, many of the key metrics in warehouse services are the same across industries—things like on-time delivery, inventory accuracy, order picking accuracy, and dock-to-stock cycle time. Hitting these key performance indicators (KPIs) is an important determinant of the success of your warehousing operations.
Warehouse Flexibility
While key metrics and the proven practices for achieving them are the focus of warehousing experts, there will inevitably be some elements in your operation that must be customized in order to reach your goals. Flexibility is a key differentiator for the best warehousing and distribution services available today. The adaptability of a warehousing partner allows it to add or remove features to support your specific needs.
Choosing a Warehousing Partner
Whether items are bulk packed or use single-parts packaging, or they need kitting, packaging, or assembly, a good warehousing partner can do it all in a variety of industries. When choosing a quality warehousing partner, be sure to get answers to the following questions:
- Do they have a reputable safety program?
- Are they certified in a quality management system?
- Do they employ continuous improvement initiatives?
- Does their location make sense in my supply chain?
- Can they flex with our demand/seasonality?
- Are they competitively priced?
- Do they have the experience, space, and labor that we do not have?
- Will hiring a warehousing partner free up our time so we can focus on our business objectives?
NewStream Enterprises, LLC has warehousing experience in a variety of industries and is familiar with the unique set of challenges those industries present. As global experts in warehousing and distribution, we have the capabilities and insights needed to develop successful programs no matter how unique a company’s operations are.
Click below to learn more about our experience in a wide range of industries.