Chicago is booming with opportunity for business and technology. The city has become a major hub for transportation, technology, and commerce which creates an abundance of opportunities for those basing their operations in Chicago. Along with these resources, Chicago has access to a variety of transportation modes that connect the city with the entirety of the continental U.S. and foreign countries. Chicago is an advantageous place to center your operations, so making the move to Illinois would be a great step to grow or maintain your business.
How to Find the Best Fulfillment Centers in Chicago
When searching for the best 3PL warehousing services in Chicago, people can run into unreliable lists or rankings. At times, companies pay to have their services listed on websites which can be misleading to those looking for the best 3PL warehouse for their business. The internet is not always a reliable source, so screening companies you may work with is important.
When it comes to finding the best 3PL logistics services, we truly vet each company so you can find the services that will help maintain and improve your operations. The warehouses we connect businesses with are screened based on the following standards:
- Number of Customers
- Years in Business
- Customer Retention Rate
- Annual Order Volume
- Order Accuracy Rate
- Shipping Accuracy Rate
- Inventory Accuracy Rate
With our years of industry experience and understanding of the level of involvement any size business requires, we can identify the services that best match your business’ needs. If you are looking for assistance in finding the right full-service warehouse or fulfillment company in Chicago, contact us today and we will provide any help you may need.
Why Use Warehousing in Chicago?
When it comes to benefits, Chicago has many opportunities and assets that will help your business flourish.
- Chicago Warehouses offer assess to a Major Hub—Chicago is seen as a hub for finance, commerce, technology, telecommunications, and transportation. The city has the third largest gross metropolitan product in the U.S. at $547 billion. The volume of exported and imported goods is also predicted to increase nearly 150% between 2010 and 2040. Chicago is also 10th in the world for high tech startups which means fulfillment centers have access to the most up-to-date technology and software. This allows for hassle free shipping, inventory, and customer service.
On a broader scale, Illinois is known as a major financial and business hub. The state is a leader in technology and is hailed as an advanced manufacturing leader. This means you will be able to secure high quality fulfillment services in Illinois.
- Chicago 3PLs Offer a Variety of Warehousing, Distribution, and Transportation Options—Illinois has access to land, water, and air transportation. Each of these options gives your business the ability to reach customers nationally and internationally.
Illinois is centrally located which creates immediate access to business in New York, Detroit, Cleveland, and Indianapolis as well as the rest of the continental United States. In the state, there is 15,989 miles of highways—such as I-70, I-80, and I-90—and 7,200 trucking establishments. In terms of railways, there are 9,982 miles of railroad that connect Illinois to Canada, Mexico, and the rest of the United States. BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad are the two railways that service Illinois, and 7,792 miles of those rails are Class I.
Chicago has access to 1,095 miles of navigatable waterways that connect to the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. The Port of Chicago is also designated as Foreign Trade Zone #22 which allows for lower shipping rates and taxes. These waterways allow for quick access to imports from foreign countries and creates opportunities for global relations.
There are two international airports and over 100 public airports in Chicago. O’Hare International Airport is one of the top 10 international airports in the U.S. and can reach 200 cities non-stop. Having access to these airways can help ensure products are received and shipped quickly and efficiently using a public warehousing service in Chicago.
How Many 3PL Warehouses are in Chicago?
In Landing Lakefront Terminal, there are 100 acres of warehouses and facilities on Lake Michigan and over 8,390,000 square feet of storage. In Lake Calumet Terminal, there are three transit sheds totaling over 315,000 square feet of facilities adjacent to 3,000 linear feet of ship and barge berthing. Overall, there is plenty of 3PL warehousing services available in and near Chicago. Furthermore, the 3PLs in Chicago offer every service imaginable, from logistics, 3PL storage and 3PL fulfillment, to 3PL warehousing and distribution.
How Much Does Ecommerce Fulfillment Services & Warehousing Services in Chicago Cost?
Fulfillment costs can often change across states and companies, so finding a set rate can be difficult. Typically, you will receive fees for all services that were provided to your business as well as a fee for integrating your operations with the 3PL company. At the end of each month, fulfillment companies will send an invoice with each service totaled up. The main 3PL fees in Chicago you will encounter will be:
- Initial Set-Up Fees
- Receiving Fees
- Storage Fees
- Fulfillment or “Pick and Pack” Fees
- Shipping Fees
- Returns Fees
- Other Miscellaneous Fees
Who Are the Best Fulfillment Services Companies in Chicago?
Selecting a third-party warehousing provider that best fits your business can be challenging. When searching for the best 3PL or fulfillment warehouses in Chicago on Google, the companies listed on certain websites have little data to support their claims. As we stated before, most of the lists of 3PL companies are profit oriented, so often, the warehousing services listed are included due to the amount of money they have spent. These sites further exhibit their monetary focus and bias through their inclusion of ads.
Our service can help you find the best fulfillment or 3PL company to assist in your warehousing operations. We make sure each third-party warehousing service we recommend is fully capable of supporting your business. To find the best match in Chicago for your operations, fill out a form or call our toll-free number for assistance from one of our experts.
Finding Warehousing in Chicago Can Make a Difference in Your Business
In terms of reach, Chicago has many resources to connect your business to the rest of the U.S. and other countries. With access to land, water, and air transportation, the possibilities are endless. Illinois itself is major hub for business, so moving your operations to Chicago would be advantageous. Chicago is one of the top 10 places to base a 3PL which creates intense competition. However, this obstacle can be mitigated by utilizing our resources to make finding the best warehouse space in Chicago as painless as possible.
Last Step
Since 2005 We’ve Been Helping Companies Just Like Yours
Your contact information is held in the strictest of confidence. We will contact you before we connect you with vendors so that we can learn about your situation, obtain any of your contact preferences, and answer any of your questions.
YOU have control over your contact details:
- No unwanted contacts – you control how vendors respond to you
- Remain confidential if you wish
- No commitment to choose any of our vendors
- Ask our Fulfillment experts any questions you have!
