A supply chain can be defined as a complex logistics system utilizing facilities that can convert raw materials into finished products which then get distributed to customers. One of the key components of a supply chain is warehousing, which acts as a place to physically store and manage goods.
The Vital Role of Warehouses
Imagine if you’re a company that sells widgets. They’re made in China and sold in the U.S. They get shipped on an airplane from Beijing to New York City. A truck drives them from the airport to a warehouse in Brooklyn. At that warehouse, they’re handled and sorted, stored on shelves, and when a customer buys a widget a person or robot “picks” the widget from the shelf and it gets packaged into a box that’s then mailed to the customer who lives in Buffalo, Boston or Philadelphia, etc.
Supply chains depend on warehouses. Businesses depend on their supply chains, and, thus, also depend on warehouses in order to move product from where it’s made to where it’s used by a customer.
Warehouses are known for certain things, chief among them the idea of a place to store goods and products efficiently. If you have items that need to be kept frozen you’d obviously want to use a temperature-controlled warehouse, right? Certain types of warehouses are used for certain products. Also important is the idea of strategic locations. It wouldn’t make sense to have a distribution warehouse in Antarctica, but one in New York City– that’s more likely for sure.
Warehouses also need to offer safety and security to avoid goods being spoiled or stolen. They should also offer inventory accountability– businesses want to know where their products are and what’s happening to them. And warehouses typically fulfill orders and distribute goods to end-users. They’re a vital component of a supply chain.
Are you looking for the right warehouse for your goods? Affiliated Warehouse Companies can help you in your search– please call 888-865-1150 for more information.
