Warehouse Space

Description of warehouse space

The collective term warehouse space can refer to different commercial properties depending on the degree of use. Warehouse space can be interesting for companies, but increasingly also for private individuals. In the following you will find a brief overview of the topics self-storage, warehouse real estate and contract logistics.

Self-storage - A newer business idea for small storage areas

Self-storage is a rental storage facility, also called a self-storage centre, that can be rented by anyone interested. The target group here includes private individuals and small businesses if they need a storage facility for a specific manageable period of time. The spread of self-storage becomes evident especially in the big cities, where residents often do not have enough storage space, or when a storage facility is needed in the event of rapid local changes due to one's job. The storage of files or goods from flea market traders can be mentioned here as examples of possible uses for companies. The stored goods are protected according to security requirements and the customer can enter the storage area at any time with his own key. The warehouse usually has a separate access road and is on average between 1 and 500 square metres in size.

Warehouse Real Estate, Storage Hall - For different needs / requirements

A warehouse real estate property is rented in order to be able to store goods in the medium or short term. It can also function as a temporary storage facility or as additional capacity for seasonal utilisation of the company's own warehouse. A company in the manufacturing sector can also use the warehouse real estate property as production space. Conversely, industrial halls are now being converted into storage halls.

Companies are looking for warehouse types that meet their needs and are located in the optimal location.

Depending on the requirements, warehouse types can be roughly divided into the following categories:

Storage halls

For the storage of different goods, e.g. general cargo, block storage, pallet storage.

Special feature: Hall height 8-10 m (UKB), but only a limited number of gates.

Distribution halls

This combines the function of a storage hall with a picking area and is used for the distribution of goods.

Special feature: Greater hall height as well as hall depth, number of gates higher than in warehouses.

Cross docking centres (Cross docks)

The warehouse functions only as a handling point and thus serves to group, divide and sort goods without intermediate storage in long-distance and short-distance transport, in some cases to the final customer (stockless warehouse concept). Main users are CEP services (courier, express, parcel transport).

Special feature: Low hall height and depth, high number of gates with formats for long-distance as well as small trucks.

Special halls

In addition to these warehouse types, there are other specialised halls, such as cold storage, liquid storage, dangerous goods storage or high-bay storage.

The different types of warehouses can be used side by side or as a complementary or alternative use in a logistics park.

The advantage for the logistics provider lies in the lower costs due to an infrastructure used by several tenants, such as forklift trucks, warehouse staff, etc.

Contract logistics - warehouse space with management

Contract logistics describes logistics companies that rent or buy warehouse space/real estate on a medium-term or long-term basis in order to take over logistics activities (management) there for other companies, e.g. customer-related storage, order picking, invoicing, customs clearance, returns, forwarding services (transport), etc. The warehouse is fully equipped for this purpose, e.g. with shelves, forklift trucks, etc. Personnel are also available for warehouse management.

The largest target group for logistics service providers are industrial and commercial enterprises, which are in a constant cost-driven optimisation process of their logistical structures. Here the question arises whether a centralised storage area or a decentralised solution with many warehouse locations is the right solution. A centralised storage area has the clear advantage of size and cost, but also much higher transport costs and the problem of sometimes longer transport times. Decentralised storage speaks for customer proximity and thus for faster and more flexible customer solutions.

These and other problems ensure that warehouse space is in demand from logistics service providers. However, large industrial and trading companies can also carry out their logistics process on their own and are therefore also looking for the optimal storage facilities.

If companies are looking for a warehouse space that meets their needs, there are two options. The first option is to look for an existing storage area; this storage area should be as close as possible to the calculated optimal warehouse location and meet the requirements. The second option is a project development if there is not enough time for a new building. For this, a commercial site at a suitable location is necessary. The construction time of the warehouse is approx. 6-9 months.