In newer warehouses, traditional perimeter security is beefed up with fencing, infrared beam detectors, motion sensors, and sophisticated camera systems.

Many older warehouses have made modifications geared toward protecting employees. These include employee identification equipment at building entrances, and accessible intercom systems so employees can immediately report unusual activity from anywhere on the property.

Government, safety, and industry regulations also drive security requirements. From climate-controlled  spaces, to tamper-proof packing zones and storage areas for flammable or aerosol products, warehouse owners are now required to provide secured space for specific types of inventory. Delivery and shipping areas also must include space to check unbroken bar codes over box seams, or scan thermal seals on food shipments. New warehouses are designed to accommodate these procedures.

But even the most efficiently designed warehouse is no match for the weather.

Savvy businesses request the latest generation of lightning protection in their DCs. Others want provisions and equipment for emergency power generation  --  investments that paid off during last year's hurricanes in Florida, for instance.

Businesses today recognize the huge costs and consequences of being knocked out of operation. Rather than wait for repair teams from local utility companies after disaster strikes, they are planning ahead.

Unlike old warehouse districts found in the urban core and along railroad lines, today's new distribution centers are often in suburban office parks fed by interstate highways. Access to rail, however, is making a comeback among warehouse buyers and builders.

As businesses seek cheaper land and lower taxes, the shift from older cities means new job opportunities for rural residents. These rural locations traditionally lacked the amenities to attract and retain employees.

But today's facilities boast video conference capabilities, exercise rooms, training rooms, cafeterias, softball fields and basketball courts, satellite TV, and even fueling islands for employee vehicles.
 In addition to these amenities, new warehouse designs reflect an increasing concern for worker safety and comfort.

DC employees typically perform their work within 15 feet of the warehouse floor, according to recent research. Temperature stratification at the worker level is now mitigated by new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning design strategies, such as directing airflow from a rooftop unit to specific elevations throughout the plant.

 

This means cool air continues to move around employee workstations in the summer, and rising hot air is pushed back down to the employee level in the winter. A versatile HVAC system offers seasonal utility cost savings that should not be ignored in the design-build process.

As with the rest of the supply chain, warehouse technology, strategy, and design will continue to evolve.