Assess throughput (orders/hour), pick/pack accuracy, inventory visibility (real-time WMS), SLA adherence, and scalability for peak seasons. Verify carrier integrations, dock capacity, and returns handling. Request performance data (OTIF, pick accuracy) and a pilot to validate day‑to‑day operations before committing.

Confirm heavy‑duty dock doors, secure yard, trailer marshalling, forklift/PPE availability, and racked storage. Validate connections to primary trucking lanes and drayage links to nearby ports. Check customs facilitation capabilities if cross-border shipments or export consolidations are expected.

Yes, potential reductions come from shorter regional drayage, lower last‑mile distances, and reduced inland mileage. Savings depend on shipment density, carrier rates, and service frequency; model landed cost including storage, handling, and local distribution to quantify benefits versus centralized facilities.

Target KPIs: inventory accuracy (>99%), pick accuracy, order cycle time, dock-to-stock time, and OTIF. Typical onboarding ranges from 30–90 days: initial setup and WMS integration (30–60 days), SKU master data and test orders (2–4 weeks), then scale to live operations with a monitored ramp period to stabilize performance.