Prioritize facility footprint and racking density, WMS capability and API/EDI integration, pick-and-pack throughput, returns processing, temperature-controlled options if required, carrier connectivity, SLA and KPI transparency, and scalability to align with seasonal peaks and SKU growth.

Staging inventory in Greenock reduces coastal import drayage and shortens regional transit to Scotland’s Central Belt. Road and rail links deliver efficient distribution across Scotland and to northern England; ferry and short-sea services support cost-efficient routing to Ireland, improving total landed-cost versus distant inland sites.

Require a modern WMS with real-time inventory, multi-carrier integrations, temperature monitoring for cold chain, bonded or customs-handling capabilities for imports/exports, security and traceability controls, and relevant certifications (e.g., ISO, HACCP/GMP for food/pharma where applicable).

Greenock often offers lower industrial rents and favorable labor rates, which can reduce storage and handling costs. Those savings should be weighed against any incremental transport spend to specific customer clusters—evaluate total cost-to-serve including drayage, carrier access and service-level penalties.

Ask providers for documented carrier contracts, sample routing and rate matrices, historical delivery KPIs, SLA commitments, and references. Test with a pilot SKU or small volume program to measure on-time delivery, transit variability and reverse-logistics responsiveness before scaling.