The challenges of organizing an efficient logistics park

In the context of the continuous increase of fuel prices, energy and, implicitly, of raw materials and services, the outsourcing of certain support functions is starting to become a reality for more and more companies in Romania. Outsourcing logistics services come with immediate benefits: stock changes that are billed to the logistics service provider, penalties from customers or suppliers billed to the same service provider, with very strict measurement of logistics performance to ensure that we receive the service we pay for. Another benefit may be the cost savings for implementing inventory and warehouse management systems, labels and scanners. Of course, outsourcing also carries risks, which we will mention below.

The risks of outsourcing logistics services come from the resources used by the external provider: human and material. The human resource specialized in warehousing and logistics tends to become increasingly scarce, or less prepared, which is why automation and robotics are in full development, especially when we talk about transport, storage, preparation of deliveries, loading and unloading.

 The organization of an efficient logistics park requires the calculation of storage spaces according to the customer needs, generating the need for flexible storage spaces, which must have excellent traceability: efficiency does not mean fixed spaces, clearly dedicated to a single customer, whether he uses them or not - but refers to the most economical use of space, in order to offer the most advantageous financial conditions to customers.

Access, movement and use of deposits are also very important factors. The positioning of warehouses in relation to roads and highways increases or decreases the desirability of a logistics park for its customers. Access roads must be widened in the cornering area, with sufficient space for safe turning and entering and exiting ramps quickly and without incidents. In the case of high traffic, intelligent traffic light systems can very effectively organize the use of access routes according to the load and priorities that have been previously planned.

Warehouse buildings should be built in such a way as to be compatible with the activity: we know that any building can store goods, but not every building should be defined as a warehouse! A "forest of poles" means a lot of unused space that we will have to avoid, leading to additional storage time and increasing the costs of operating such spaces.