Moving on from outsourcing to building your own products? This can only mean one thing; you’re getting into the manufacturing sector. It’s quite a large leap to make, going from outsourcing your production to fully internalizing your production needs. It will mean you have to be prepared for a lot of hiccups along the way, plenty of financial conundrums and some relationship advice when it comes to business partners.

Let’s focus on the core aspects of building a production facility, without going near the hiring, maintenance and type of facility you are making.

The Location

First of all, your design is second to the location. If you don’t have the large space you need, your design will inevitably be hampered. So the first thing you need to do is to secure the location and the size of the facility that you require. How do you do this?

Search for plots of land around your current location. Unless you plan to move to the city or perhaps extend your commute to work, then you will likely want a facility that is close by to the rest of your business. Many companies will build a production facility wherever they can and then grow their logistical line to transport the finished goods to a warehouse. If you are okay with this, i.e. you have the financial means and employees to do so, then go ahead.

The Size

The size of the facility is crucial to your internal operations. If you find that the size of the facility is directly linked to the number of products you can make. If the facility is too small and you need 1,000 products made per hour, then you won’t reach that amount unless you enlarge the facility size.

The cubic feet are just as important as the square feet. Why? Your facility should be multi-floor or multi-layered. This means that you can have a vertical design to your facility, whereby finished products move down the production line and eventually move out toward the loading or storage bays.

The Potential for Growth

Don’t worry too much if you can’t find a facility the size you need right now. There is a possibility that you can expand the facility to the size that you need as your business grows. But first, check with a code and zoning consulting expert, who can let you know if you can expand, what areas of your facility should not impede another person’s land and how far you can go with your expansion regarding size. Some authorities don’t want you to block the view of road signs, billboards, highway bridges, overpasses and more. This is of course relevant to passing drivers who need to find out where they are going visually.

Access to the Facility

Obviously, you want employees to get to the facility without much bother. So you need to seriously consider the kinds of commuting and transport services you can offer them. This is why the location is so important to get right, so you don’t have these kinds of issues in the future. Make sure you know what kinds of highways there are, what kinds of country roads and train stations there are, around the area that could get employees to work on time. You should also consider parking access. The majority of your employees will probably drive to the facility, so you need somewhere they can park their cars without danger of being stolen. You may find that building a private car park is a must-have since there is no other option.

Loading the Trucks

If you do find that you require logistical support to transport your products to a warehouse or a depot, reading for delivery, then you need loading areas for trucks. This will be simple to create virtually anywhere in your facility, but it will also mean you need to change the way the facility is set up. So, it’s wise to choose the area where loading will occur before you begin to build.

The loading bays should have a clear entrance/exit so large trucks can get in and out without being in danger of swiping other trucks beside them. This can be done by hiring loading bay designers that can build your loading bays, parking spaces, routes and light system to organize traffic.

Building your own production facility is a great experience but it can be very daunting. The location is first and foremost the most valuable thing to get right.