Assess providers on location (proximity to Port of Adelaide and major highways), carrier integrations and negotiated rates, warehouse capabilities (racked storage, pick-and-pack, cold chain), real-time order and inventory visibility, and SLA metrics tied to transit time and fulfillment accuracy.

Prioritize dock capacity for palletized flows, cross-dock options, secure bulk storage, integrated TMS/WMS connectivity to national carriers, and scheduled regional departures that match your delivery cadence to retail and wholesale customers.

A multi-node approach reduces last-mile distance to key consumer centers, segments inventory by SKU velocity, supports faster returns processing, and spreads risk. Evaluate network cost-to-serve, inventory split models, and carrier routing efficiencies to validate the uplift.

Benchmark order accuracy, on-time dispatch rate, dock-to-stock time, inventory carrying cost, pick density, and total landed cost per order (including inbound, storage, pick-pack, and outbound carrier charges). Require transparent SLA penalties and monthly performance reporting.