Logistics and distribution can be a game of feast or famine with supply and demand, the fluctuating nature of the industry making it a challenge for businesses to scale rapidly when needed without wasting unnecessary space through quieter periods.
As we approach the peak period for many distribution companies through Q4, meeting the ever-growing demand year on year can make this problem particularly acute. As online sales continue to grow, the reliance of logistics companies to form the backbone of this demand will only increase, carving out huge opportunities for those equipped to meet this demand.
One of the bottlenecks can be dealing with the flow of goods and the increase in fleet size to move them; storing these goods (even in the short-term) through the winter period requires some forethought.
How Temporary Warehousing Can Help
Feeding perfectly into this is the option for a temporary warehouse. The benefits are twofold, and work perfectly for logistics companies that are grappling with this problem.
Firstly, meeting demand. Even with short notice, RODER temporary warehouses can be delivered and installed in a matter of weeks to give you a hire or lease solution to expand your warehouse space.
Our clear-span modular buildings don’t require a supportive inner post, meaning you have up to 40m in width of covered warehouse space that’s unrestricted to rack or set up for goods or as loading areas for your fleet. The warehouses can also be equipped with insulated sandwich panels and inflatable roofs (the latter with the option of fleece lining) to insulate them through the cold winter months.
The flexibility of these modular buildings is one of their greatest assets for distribution companies. If you need more height to use for loading or for higher racking, the eave heights can range from 3.5m to 8.2m, and the length of these units can be extended indefinitely in either 2.5m or 5m increments to completely tailor the warehouse to your business needs.
One very popular method for logistics companies is using a modular building as a loading canopy that extends near an existing warehouse, as illustrated below. You can conveniently load goods irrespective of the weather and leave the ends open for easy access in HGVs. You can also see the benefits of the clear span width here, and there’s plenty of clearance from a height perspective to create a safe loading and unloading environment.
Despatch tunnels can be another simple, effective way to create space within your existing warehouse whilst carving out a safe space for preparing goods to despatch. These areas need to be suitable for forklifts and HGVs so require a flexible solution and on many occasions extend straight from the existing warehouse. Our modular buildings can facilitate all this as part of their design.
Temporary Warehouse Cost Effectiveness For Logistics
The second challenge in distribution is finding a cost-effective option that gives you scale when you need it. As we’ve touched on, the fluctuating nature of distribution supply and demand could mean you only need a temporary warehouse for periods of the year, but it wouldn’t make financial sense to have a warehouse that meets this scale all year round as it’d be a sunk cost for the remainder of the year and can be a crippling expense when demand falls.
We have created a more detailed post about the cost-effectiveness of temporary buildings which you can read here.
Bringing in a temporary warehouse could at first seem like a headache. However, you’d be surprised at how flexible the solutions at RODER can be. Our structures demand a lower investment of time and money compared to traditional projects and, as a result, a faster return on investment. You can lease, rent, or purchase one of our buildings so we’re sure to have a flexible solution that aligns with your needs. If you’re unsure whether to hire or buy then read here to get more insight on the best fit for you.
Because all RODER buildings meet the fire safety requirements for construction and withstand wind speeds in excess of 25 m/s and snow loads of at least 75 kg per square metre, they can be mounted as an extension of your existing warehouse space or be assembled freestanding, with industrial doors located where you need them so forklifts or HGVs can access them in a way that seamlessly compliments your existing set up. If you’re concerned about planning permission we’ve also put together a detailed guide you can read here to help you.
If you’re a logistics or distribution company that’s concerned about how to cope with a rapid increase in demand then reach out to us and get in touch here, or call us on 01487 840 840 and we can tailor a temporary warehouse solution that helps your business scale up space when you need it most.
