Time is money! It’s hard deciding who to trust when it comes to choosing the best logistics companies in Pakistan for your type of product. If you are planning to get an outsourced warehouse supplier, chances are you are aware of the advantages of doing so! The real question is how to know which supplier is THE BEST ?
We have listed some very basic yet important tips to help you decide who to choose.
- KNOW YOUR NEEDS AND WANTS
When choosing a warehouse it is important to know what are your needs and requirements and how long do you plan to use it for. Weather your goal is short term or seasonal or would you require their services all year round. Some providers may offer services you don’t need so make sure you chose a provider whose most services are in line with your needs and requirements, this way you don’t have to pay extra money. Research beforehand the type of equipment, storage and material handling required by your product and then tally it with the
- KNOW YOUR PRODUCT AND MAKE SURE PROVIDER IS COMMITED TO YOUR PRODUCT
The supplier should be fully aware of their product, like how much space would each piece need and if the warehouse have those adequate services needed by your product. You can look for red flags, like if the company is not asking about safety consideration, or handling requirements or nature and value of product. Most likely the provider is just trying to make money and does not care about what happens to your product. If your product needs any special requirements, for example, fragile items or irregular shaped items require special care – make sure you have conveyed to the supplier properly and have gotten a prompt reply or feedback if they can cater to it or not.
- VISIT THE WAREHOUSE YOURSELF
“Seeing is believing” this phrase works best over here. Go to the workhouse, see their working yourself. Check if the storage space is enough to store all of your inventory. Check out their transportation methods, ask them to show you how they have been providing transportation to other clients and if it’s safe. Make sure they are using online or offline (WMS) Warehouse Management System because you don’t want your supplier calling you up and telling you they never received the material or it is out of stock right before the deadline when the order needs to be shipped.
- 4. BID BID BID
In order to find the best of the best, call for bids! Publish your requirements and call for bids. Request quotations with full details of the products and services you need. Mention the quality expectations and quantities. Request for a complete design or complete proposal with prices, execution methods used and the reason of what makes them more reliable over other suppliers. There are various companies offering warehousing service in Pakistan, analyze everything carefully and then make a decision. Make sure all your standards and requirements are met within your budget. Make your decision wisely.
- LOCATION!
Keep in mind the consumer’s location. If your product is export type then you would want a freight company that can not only help you ship but also help you transport goods from, for example, Multan to Karachi. Decide according to your budget if your product is the export type, decide first if you want to ship it or use air freight. Then choose the supplier according to their expertise. One freight providing service that is good at air freight might not be great at shipping, or vice versa. Similarly a supplier that is good with rails might not be great at trucking. First be clear with the consumer’s location and then decide accordingly.
