Specifications: What do companies look for in a warehouse to rent

With the burgeoning e-commerce industry in India, there is a need for fulfillment and distribution centers more than ever. Traditionally, individual landlords have been developing small individual sheds with no particular focus on quality or specifications, but the entry of institutional players, majority of them being global, has brought high quality warehousing to the country and several domestic landlords and developers are following suit by choosing to develop top grade (high quality) warehouse for the rapidly evolving needs of businesses.

In this article, we would outline some of the most critical parameters that companies look for when evaluating a warehouse for rent. Please note that this list is indicative and not exhaustive. Moreover, these parameters are predominantly applicable to PEB structures. For more details on specifications and parameters, please reach us on +91-9108447825/9 or visit us on 4FC.

• Access road: within established and emerging warehousing and logistics hubs near to consumption centers, the most important parameter for companies to choose a warehouse for rent is the access road. As a thumb rule, a 40 ft access road is important in majority of the cases as it allows free movement of large trailers. 
• Clear Height: with more and more companies going vertical with racking in warehouses that they rent, there is a demand for clear height upwards of 12 meters. A warehouse of top-notch quality would have 13-13.5 meters of clear height. Clear height is the height from the floor till the first obstruction, and determines the maximum height of racks.
• Flooring: storing goods vertically require that the load bearing capacity of the warehouse floor is high. FM2-Grade flooring is common among top quality (Grade A) warehouses while Grade A-/B (a little lower in quality) have VDF flooring.
• Fire Safety Provisions: Fire safety is a very important aspect and tenants prefer water sprinklers these days. Having said that, providing fire hydrants have been the most common practice till now. Fully compliant warehouses for lease have NOC from the Fire Department as well.
• Ventilators: Almost all new PEB warehouses for rent are being constructed with ridge ventilators. Turbo ventilators (revolving protrusions on the roof) were common but came with problems such as leakage during rains. 
• Inside roads (space and material): the roads encircling warehouses should be such that 40 ft trailers should be able to dock and maneuver comfortably without getting stuck anywhere. RCC roads and an in-house parking space form part of Grade A spaces. 

While there are scores of other parameters such as no of docks, center height, insulation, dock height, slope etc., the above mentioned parameters are the first and the most commonly inquired about when tenants look to lease a warehouse.