Warehousing and Storage
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Industry Overview
The US warehousing and storage industry includes about 7,000 companies with combined annual revenue of about $20 billion. Major companies include CEVA Logistics, DHL's US logistics business, and GENCO. The industry is fragmented: the 50 largest companies generate about 40 percent of revenue.
Many warehousing and storage companies also provide logistics services, which are covered in the Freight Shipping Services profile. Lessors of miniwarehouses and self-storage units are covered in the Self-Storage Services profile.
Competitive Landscape
Demand is driven by the flow of goods through the US economy. The profitability of individual companies depends on efficiency of operations. Large companies can win business from major customers by operating in multiple locations and by offering wider ranges of services. Small companies can compete effectively by specializing in particular industries or local markets. The industry is labor-intensive: average annual revenue per employee is about $30,000.
Products, Operations & Technology
Major services include general warehousing (about 65 percent of industry revenue) and refrigerated warehousing (20 percent). Other services include records storage and farm products storage. Many operators provide contract warehousing services, in which a warehouse is dedicated to a single major customer. Others offer public warehousing services, in which warehouse facilities are shared by customers too small to require dedicated facilities.
Generally, warehousing and storage operations provide a protected space where customers can leave items for varying periods. The space is usually protected against fire and theft, and may be climate-controlled or refrigerated for special items like documents, clothing, and food. In addition to basic storage service, warehouse operators may provide logistics services such as freight transportation arrangement, inventory control, order processing, and pickup and delivery.
The records storage segment of the industry has special characteristics. Virtually all large companies use offsite storage for records that are either vital to current operations (such as backups of computerized data bases) or that are inactive, but must be kept for legal reasons. Consolidation has been strong in this market segment because large customers prefer to contract with a single storage provider that can service locations around the country. Records are stored on paper and on backup computer tapes and other electronic media.
Warehouse operators use a variety of technologies to handle inventory and respond to customer requests to move contents. Most use warehouse management system (WMS) software. Operators may use pick-and-pack systems to help fill customers’ requests for retrieving and shipping stored inventory. To correctly track items, some operators use radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that automatically communicate with a local computer. The cost of such devices has fallen rapidly, encouraging their use. With such tags, operators and customers can know the exact location of stored goods.
