Warehouse Site Selection and Relocation

Warehouse site selection beyond due diligence.

Warehouse site selection should go beyond the standard due diligence metrics.  While they are critical for a successful transaction, they do not provide the complete picture, and they do not ensure you can obtain the occupancy you need.  Just are critical are the permits history, previous use, existing sprinkler, and fire code compliance factors.  Prior to signing a lease or closing on a building, you should consult with Active Industrial Fire Protection to provide a free occupancy audit on the buildings in question.  

Many factors affect a buildings ability to support its proposed use.  These include:

• Automatic fire sprinkler system
• Fire department access
• Smoke and heat removal
• Column spacing

If a building is missing any one of these items, it can mean disaster for your project.  Active Industrial Fire Protection assists you in your site selection in the following ways:

• Work with you and your team to classify your commodities, understand your operation, and determine the specific use classification(s)
• Work with you and your team to determine your storage design requirements, including pallet racking, shelving, dynamic racks, and/or floor storage
• Coordinate with your broker and prospective property manager to evaluate the properties on your survey
• Quickly eliminate buildings that will not meet the proposed use
• Research the occupancy and permit history of the best prospects
• Develop audit reports of the best prospects that include all requirements to obtain the valid permits and occupancy

For instance, the primary use of your building may be to store and distribute goods.  However, as a value add, you may provide coating service.  While this may be incidental to your business process, it is probably the most critical aspect of whether or not you can obtain occupancy in a building.  Therefore, it is crucial to understand your entire business process in order to determine you proper use and ensure a successful project that results in a valid certificate of occupancy and protected storage and process.