Finding Premises for a Manufacturing Business
Premises
The process of finding premises for a manufacturing business can be difficult; there are several important factors that you need to consider:
Cost and Size
Is your building big enough to fit your business? You need to remember that all of your equipment, offices, parts, and possibly finished products will need to be located there.
Without having the full contents available, you need to make a careful judgement as to whether the premises are of suitable size for your expected production numbers and equipment
If your premises are too small for s toring everything, can you afford to pay for extra warehouse, storage or distribution costs?
Proximity
“You need to consider how close your premises are to both suppliers and customers.”
With a manufacturing business, you need to consider how close your premises are to both suppliers and customers. If possible, you need to be close to both, but finding a good mid-point can be quite effective. If you cannot be close to both, then it is normally better to be closer to the customer, especially as you have to pay for the distribution to them, while the supplier usually has to pay for distribution to you! You also need to bear in mind where your employees will be travelling from. If you are located miles away from a town or city you may struggle to attract employees, or they may get quickly frustrated at long travelling times.
Health and Safety
Manufacturing businesses have to be careful of many more health and safety aspects than other businesses, and you need to be aware of this when choosing your premises. For any business, employee safety has to be a primary concern. With manufacturing equipment, there are higher risks of accidents, and you should be sure that there is enough room for employees to safely navigate any potentially dangerous equipment (e.g. Drills or Saws). You should also take a look at the building itself, and see whether it (and the fittings within) feels secure and sturdy enough to deal with manufacturing equipment. Another area of consideration in manufacturing business is over environmental issues, increasing legislation means that you cannot afford to take them lightly. From issues such as energy consumption through to recent changes on the disposal of hazardous waste, environmental considerations are increasing for all businesses.
“Managing health, safety and environmental impact can improve your businesses reputation with employees and customers.”
These legislations should not be seen only as a burden however, as ensuring good health and safety, and managing the environmental impact of your business effectively can improve your reputation with employees and customers.
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