Warehouses Adapt to E-Commerce

With the sudden boom in online sales, demand for space is increasing and warehouses are changing the way they store goods.

Warehouse 3

E-commerce is reshaping the supply chain and creating a change in warehouse space. With the sudden boom in online sales, demand for space is increasing and businesses are changing the way they store goods. 

Warehouses are usually located on the outskirts of cities to make it easier for goods to be moved. However, since warehouse space is at a premium, it is ideal for the facility to be closer to population cities to maintain next day and same day shipping. 

Retail sales are expected to increase 4 percent this year and nearly 16 percent of sales in the U.S. was made online in 2017. The continuous increase is creating a boost in warehouse construction.

Warehouse design is now changing since the e-commerce boom. Facilities are now 143 percent larger than what they used to be and 3.7 feel taller. Multi-story units that are popular in Asia are now transferring to the U.S.

The need for inland ports have also increased. Inland ports are inland intermodal rail terminals that allow for less expensive over-land rail transit from seaports before a container moves to a truck, helping make the delivery process cheaper. 

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