Renting a Fine Freight Warehouse

American manufacturing is an enormous industry today, with everything from cars to microwaves to power tools and children’s toys being made in factories from coast to coast. However, it is not enough to merely produce those items; shipping and storage are important factors, too. Any responsible enterprise owner will know that freight delivery and warehouses are critical for business success. Trucks and trains can deliver goods to and from factories, warehouses, and retailers, and warehouses in particular are an arena to take seriously. Ultimately, a warehouse is a large, commercial storage area, but there is more to it than that. Some larger factories choose to buy a commercial warehouse, such as if they do not plan to move their operations. But many other, smaller enterprises choose to rent that space rather than buy a commercial house. Rather than buy a commercial warehouse, these smaller factories’ owners choose to find commercial warehousing for rent. To buy a commercial warehouse is to invest a lot in a certain business and area, and that can be risky for smaller companies. Renting a warehouse is often the better call for these smaller enterprises.

Warehousing Today

Commercial leases for warehouses can be quite lucrative, and the warehouse industry is a large one that is still growing. What is there to know? Since the year 2000, the total amount of space occupied by distribution and warehouse premises has grown 86.2%. That is, in just under 20 years, the amount of total warehouse space has almost doubled, showing how strong this industry is. This is especially helpful since e-commerce, or buying items online, is growing fast and manufacturers need storage space for all these ordered items. A lot of warehouse and distribution space will be needed for all this as the e-commerce industry continues to grow in the coming years. And all the while, warehouses employ many Americans; nearly 166,907 men and women in the United States work for warehouse and storage industries.

What’s inside a warehouse? Such a facility has a lot of floor space for storing items large and small, and the floors will be made of treated concrete to bear the weight of all those items and all the forklifts that move them. Such warehouses will have a lot of shelving units for storing ordinary items, as well as a lot of floor space for plastic or wooden palettes. Other items may need more specialized storage, such as cold items. Grocery items such as dairy or frozen dinners need to kept cold, so some warehouses will also have refrigeration or freezer units in them for such items. These cooling units may also be used for wine, or even for exotic materials such as dry ice. And if a warehouse may store hazardous materials, such as canisters of natural gas or radioactive materials, the staff must have the proper training and equipment alike to safety store those materials. OSHA, among other agencies, has regulations and training courses available to handle that.

Rent A Warehouse

Why might a smaller business choose to rent rather than buy a commercial warehouse? There are reasons to not buy a commercial warehouse. For example, a purchased warehouse will have to be sold before a business can relocate, and this might not always be easy. A smaller company might lose a lot of money while waiting for its warehouse to sell, so instead, rentals can be a better option.

It is common for companies to rent warehouse space for a lease. As with leasing an apartment, a business can sign the lease and start using the ready-made warehouse right away, and when the time comes, the company can move on. There is no need to linger and wait for a warehouse to sell; instead, the renting company allows the lease to end, then moves on to a new location. A business might move on if its local sales drop or if it plans to build a bigger factory and work with retailers elsewhere. And when looking for a warehouse to rent, a company should factor in the warehouse’s storage space, special accommodations, and is proximity to the factory and retailers. All of this may affect price, so the factory manager should make this decision carefully to find the best warehouse with the best lease.