Distribution Warehousing

Distribution warehousing is about movement rather than storage: goods come in, are sorted and go out to dealers, stores and customers quickly and accurately. Farbe Enterprise sets this up in the Indian city that puts your stock closest to demand, and runs picking, cross-docking and dispatch there.

Storage or distribution: which do you need?

The same building can do both jobs, but it is run differently for each.

If your need sits closer to the storage column, renting warehouse space may fit better.

Choosing a distribution footprint in India

India is large, and a single warehouse rarely reaches every market with the service customers expect. Three patterns are common:

• One central stock point. Simplest to run and keeps total inventory low, but outlying customers wait longer and transport legs are long.
• Regional distribution centres. Stock is split across regions, such as north, south, east and west, so most orders travel a shorter distance. Inventory rises, because each region holds its own safety stock.
• Hub and spoke. A main hub receives full loads from the plant and feeds smaller stock points or cross-dock locations that serve local dealers.

The right choice depends on where your orders come from, how quickly they must arrive and how much stock you can afford to hold. Plotting a few months of orders by destination is usually the most revealing first step.

Road, rail and where to place stock

Most distribution in India still moves by road, and the Golden Quadrilateral highways linking Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata shape many long-haul routes. The Dedicated Freight Corridors are moving some long-distance freight to rail as sections come into service; check current status for the routes you use. A distribution warehouse with easy truck access to a national highway generally makes both inbound full loads and outbound deliveries simpler to plan. We arrange space in the city you need, and warehouses listed by owners and brokers can be browsed on Farbe Warehouses.

What our distribution warehousing includes

• Inbound receiving of full loads from your plant or suppliers
• Inventory management, so every order is picked from accurate stock
• Order picking and packing for dealer, retail or customer orders
• Cross-docking, where inbound goods are sorted and sent straight out
• Consolidation of orders heading the same way
• Labelling and repacking to meet dealer or channel requirements
• Transport coordination for outbound dispatch

We handle general, dry, non-hazardous goods. For consumer products with chilled or food-grade needs, see our guide to FMCG warehousing.

Signs you need a distribution point

• Dealers in distant states complain about slow or inconsistent deliveries
• Every small order ships from the factory, tying up plant staff
• Full trucks leave the plant, but customers order in small lots
• You are opening a new region and need stock there before sales build up

Information that helps us plan

A sample of recent orders (anonymised is fine), your product list with pack sizes, the main destinations you deliver to, any dealer labelling or document rules, and your busiest months. Rough figures are enough to start, and we refine them together. Share them through our contact form.

Frequently asked questions