Whether you work in manufacturing, distribution, wholesale, or any other similar industry, you can largely benefit from using public warehousing. In the simplest terms, it helps you save time and money by allowing you to keep inventories in one location rather than having them all in one place. Let’s break down what public warehousing is, its benefits, and what to look for when choosing one.
What is a public warehouse?
Warehouses are common places for goods to be stored. They may contain goods, products, parts, tools, raw materials, and even food. A warehouse can be public, private, cross-docked, or reverse-distributed. Public warehouses are often near airports and seaports so that different customers can use the same space and make international trade easier.
Public warehouse owners typically charge for space, labor, and utilities. There are many things that can be stored in public warehouses, such as raw materials, work in progress, finished goods, and goods on their way somewhere else. Goods usually move directly from the supplier to the buyer or from one place to another and largely reduce costs as many customers use the same space.
The Benefits of public warehouses for storage & shipping
The market size for public warehousing services in the United States reached $29,2 billion in 2021, as more and more companies are turning to public warehouses for their storage needs. The reason is simple. Public warehouses are an excellent way to store inventory while remaining lean.
This warehousing option allows you to outsource all supply chain logistics, including inventory management, picking, packing, and shipping. Trends also indicate that the usage of public warehouses isn’t going down any time soon.
You can choose to store one item in the warehouse or send the entire inventory to the warehouse for storage. If you are a distributor or wholesaler, your products come straight from the maker and may need to be stored before you can sell them to your customers. If you are a retailer, you can purchase inventory from wholesalers or distributors and store it in public warehouses until your customers buy it.
As a manufacturer, you may produce more goods than your current customers can afford. In this case, a warehouse can store leftover inventory until you have time to find new customers. Public warehouse spaces offer many benefits to small businesses, startups, and established companies alike. Some of these benefits include:
Cost
Public warehousing is a cost-effective solution for storing goods, as it is generally cheaper than other storage methods. Large companies often use public warehouses to store their goods in bulk because the cost per square foot is cheaper than if they were to rent out a private warehouse. Public warehouses also allow them to be flexible with their storage space, which is not possible with private warehouses.
Public warehouses also have the benefit of being able to store goods in bulk, which means that there is less risk of damaging the product during transit. This can save on costs as it reduces the need for expensive insurance and damage claims.
Location
Public warehouses are centrally located. They usually have a lot of parking space and are easy to get to from different directions, which is better than smaller facilities. Public warehouses also offer a wide variety of options for storage, which makes them more versatile than other locations that may only have one or two types of storage. These public warehouses are often cheaper than other warehouse options, so this is another reason why public warehouses offer the best location for companies.
Scalability
Public warehouses like the ones that we offer at M&W Logistics can keep up with the needs of businesses by providing scalable storage solutions and different services to suit any need. They have the space and the expertise to store large volumes of goods at competitive rates.
Some public warehouses will store your goods in containers, which you can use as you need them. This is an excellent option for businesses that need to store seasonal items or products with a short shelf life. Other public warehouses provide long-term storage for companies that don’t need to access their goods on a regular basis.
Public warehousing can be a cheaper way to store things than self-storage, and it can be used as a backup if the customer already has their own warehouse.
What to look for in a public warehouse space
Public warehouse space can be a great place to conduct business. They provide a cost-effective, flexible, and secure storage space for your company. Public warehouses are available in many different sizes and shapes that can suit your needs.
Here are some things that you should consider before renting a public warehouse space:
- Accessibility: You shouldn’t have to worry about the location of the warehouse. This means that you will need access to it as long as there is a public street or highway nearby.
- Security: You must be sure that your goods are safe because they are protected by surveillance cameras and security guards.
- Cost: The cost of renting a public warehouse space is much less expensive than leasing or buying one for yourself. You must also factor the cost component into account.
- Flexibility: You can rent any size space, from small to large ones depending on how much storage you need. The public warehouse you select must always have flexible, scalable options.
Choose M&W Logistics
M&W provides flexible public warehousing in Nashville to meet the needs of all businesses, both long-term and short-term or seasonal.
Our Nashville public warehouses make it easy to store inventory in one place and make the most of the space. With our warehousing option, you can outsource the logistics of your entire supply chain, including managing your inventory, picking, packaging, and shipping.
You can store a single item in our Nashville warehouse or your entire inventory. Our inventory management checks all the right boxes when it comes to handling, picking, packing, shipping, and everything else.
Contact us today to learn more.