If their customers are represented by US population figures, Chicago Consulting believes it has the answer.
For the eighth year, Chicago Consulting has developed its "10 Best Warehouse Networks" for distribution networks ranging from one to 10 warehouses. Using the US population as its base, Chicago Consulting developed a list of warehouse locations that provide the shortest average lead time to customers. It measures transit time as 400 miles per day plus one day. That being said, the best location for a single warehouse serving the entire US is Bloomington, IN. Based on Chicago Consulting's methodology, Bloomington has an average lead time of three days. To halve that lead time, the consulting company's model requires eight warehouses. www.chicago-consulting.com