Prioritize dock/berth proximity, yard and staging space, clear height and racking flexibility, temperature control, equipment availability, WMS/TMS compatibility, carrier integrations, SLA and KPI definitions, insurance and security, and demonstrated throughput for comparable product profiles.

Taranto's port and feeder services reduce sea transit for Mediterranean routes, while nearby road and rail corridors lower inland drayage and transit variability. Consolidation opportunities and shorter sea legs can lower per-unit freight costs and reduce lead times when paired with efficient cross-dock and intermodal planning.

Look for real-time WMS with API or EDI connectivity, TMS integrations for carrier rate-shopping, inventory visibility and multi-channel order routing, returns management, analytics dashboards, and automated reporting for cost-to-serve and SLA performance monitoring.

Include outbound freight, inbound replenishment, duty and tariffs, inventory carrying days, labor rates, handling fees, dwell and cross-dock charges, lead-time impact on safety stock, and service-level penalties. Run scenario models for high-velocity SKUs and low-density SKUs to compare trade-offs in service and cost.