More orders. More products. More customers. It’s what you’ve been working towards.
But growth can bring a problem you weren’t quite prepared for: nowhere to put everything.
Perhaps your latest stock delivery has filled the last available pallet spaces. Your packing area keeps shrinking, and your team is moving products out of the way just to reach other products. You want to launch a new range, but you’re already wondering where it will go.
When that happens, warehouse space starts influencing business decisions. And finding a bigger building isn’t the only option worth considering.
Third party logistics, or 3PL, gives you access to an external partner that can store your goods and manage agreed logistics tasks on your behalf. Here’s how it can help when your business is ready to grow but your warehouse is struggling to keep up.
Is your warehouse holding your business back?
A busy warehouse isn’t automatically a problem. The warning signs appear when the pressure starts affecting your team, your customers or your plans.
For example:
- New stock is difficult to store. Each delivery needs a reshuffle before it can be put away.
- Orders take longer to prepare. Your team spends more time finding and moving stock.
- Storage is taking over working areas. Packing benches and dispatch areas have less room to operate.
- Seasonal peaks create recurring pressure. You can manage an average week, but promotions or busy periods overwhelm the space.
- Growth decisions depend on available room. You delay adding products or accepting opportunities because you cannot comfortably handle the extra stock.
If these sound familiar, look beyond how full the shelves are. Ask whether your current operation can support the sales you want to achieve over the next year.
How to manage more stock in your warehouse as your business grows
When stock starts taking over your warehouse, it’s natural to look for ways to fit more in. But will extra shelving or a different layout give your business enough room for its next stage of growth?
Even if you recover some space, your team still needs to receive the additional stock, manage it and prepare more orders. If they’re already stretched, increasing storage alone may only solve part of the problem.
This is where a 3PL partner can help. By moving stock into an externally managed warehouse, you can access additional capacity alongside support with picking, packing and dispatch.
When comparing warehouse storage solutions, consider what your business will need as orders increase. Our storage and distribution services can help you accommodate more stock and manage the work that comes with it.
What does a 3PL partner do?
A 3PL provider manages logistics activities for another business. Depending on the service agreed, that can include receiving goods, storing stock, managing inventory, picking and packing orders, arranging dispatch and handling returns.
For a business owner, this means you can outsource the parts of your operation that are becoming difficult to manage internally.
You might need additional storage for some of your stock, or a broader service that handles orders from arrival through to dispatch. The right arrangement depends on your products, order volumes and growth plans.
At Lesters Logistics, our storage and distribution services connect warehousing with the movement of goods, helping you plan beyond simply finding somewhere to put another pallet.
What are the benefits of third party logistics for growing businesses?
The benefits of third party logistics become clearer when you look at the pressures behind a crowded warehouse.
Take pressure off your team
Extra orders are welcome, but they still need to be picked, packed and dispatched.
If your team is already stretched, adding warehouse space alone may leave the workload problem unresolved. Outsourcing fulfilment can help reduce the daily demands on your staff and the time you spend organising them.
Our pick and pack services cover the preparation of orders for dispatch, giving businesses support with this labour-intensive stage.
Compare alternatives before committing to larger premises
A warehouse move can involve rent, equipment, staffing and disruption, alongside the cost of the move itself.
A 3PL arrangement offers another option to assess. Compare the full cost of outsourcing with the full cost of expanding your own operation, including receiving, storage, order processing, packaging, delivery and any additional charges.
Outsourcing won’t be the cheapest choice for every business. The useful question is which approach gives you the capacity and service your growth plans require at a cost you can sustain.
Keep track of stock as volumes increase
As your product range grows, knowing what is available becomes more demanding.
At Lesters Logistics, inventory management software provides visibility of stock held with us. Before outsourcing, agree what information your business needs, how you will access it and how stock discrepancies will be resolved.
Clear reporting helps you make purchasing and sales decisions while an external team handles the physical goods.
Support customers beyond your local area
Growth may mean reaching customers in new parts of the country. Where you store goods, and how they enter delivery networks, becomes part of that decision.
Our guide to how a Midlands-based 3PL can support nationwide deliveries explains why warehouse location matters when planning distribution.
How Lesters Logistics can give your business room to grow
Our order fulfilment service brings together receiving goods, storage, order processing, picking, packing, shipping and returns management. That gives your business support beyond additional warehouse space, helping you manage the workload that comes with increased sales.
We start by understanding where you are now and where you want to go. Are you launching new products, preparing for seasonal demand or spending too much time managing daily dispatches? We’ll discuss your stock, order volumes and growth plans to identify the support you need.
We’ll also work through the handover with you, from transferring stock to agreeing packaging requirements, order cut-off times and reporting. With a clear plan in place, you can move towards outsourced fulfilment with confidence and give your team more time to focus on customers, sales and developing the business.
Ready to discuss your next stage of growth? Fill out our contact form to explore how we can help.