Evaluate clear height and racking density, dock door count and staging, temperature‑controlled capacity, WMS/API integration, inventory accuracy, and SLAs for pick/pack and order cutoffs. Confirm weekend/seasonal labor availability and tech for real‑time tracking, returns handling, and EDI or marketplace connectors.

Assess proximity to parcel pickup windows for major carriers, distance to national and regional LTL terminals, intermodal ramps, and route density to key customers. Consider zone skipping, pool distribution options, and carrier contract terms that impact transit times and per‑package pricing.

Lower rent and labor costs reduce per‑unit handling and storage, enabling margins for automation. Balance this with seasonal workforce variability, access to skilled operators, and lead time to recruit or mobilize temporary labor. Model total cost of ownership including transport, service levels, and scalability.

Use demand segmentation to colocate fast movers closer to end markets, implement safety stock for variable lead times, leverage cross‑docking for high‑velocity SKUs, and consider a hybrid network with one or two urban nodes to shorten parcel transit for distant metros while keeping base inventory in Alpena for cost efficiency.