Local Warehousing for European Export | Benefits & Case Study

The Significance of Local Warehousing for European Export

The European market offers plenty of new opportunities for manufacturers and a large customer base, making it interesting for North American companies to consider expansion overseas. However, as the market is distant from the US, there are some logistic challenges that need to be considered, along with how to overcome them in order to meet customers' demands.

For North American companies expanding to Europe, having a local warehouse plays a vital role in meeting customer expectations and gaining a competitive edge. 

Benefits of Local Warehousing Services

Utilizing local warehousing services for European export is not just where your products will be stored. Local warehousing in Europe comes along with advantages such as:

• Reduced shipping costs,
• Improved inventory management,
• Enhanced supply chain efficiency,
• Increased flexibility.

Case Study: Henry Molded Products' Successful Implementation

As one of our clients who successfully expanded their business in Europe, Henry Molded Products is a real-life example of leveraging local warehousing services to optimize their European operations, ensure faster delivery, cost savings, and increased customer satisfaction. This case study showcases the tangible outcomes achieved through effective local warehousing strategies.

The article below was originally published in Bolk Magazine #63.

Industrial paper mache

Henry Molded Products is a world leader in designing, developing and producing environmentally conscious packaging solutions. The family business was founded in 1962 and has their head office and two production locations in the United States. It markets innovative, high-quality recycled paper fiber products and exports them all over the world.

“Henry Molded's ‘green’ products are cast from recycled paper. To clients, I often compare it to paper mache, because everybody still remembers that from kindergarten. That often works well to create a mental image”, laughs James Dahoe. The applications for paper mache are infinite. It can range from flowerpots, creative decoration material to coffins and recyclable cooling boxes. The sky is the limit.”

Stable, cheap and green stacking

“Henry Molded Products’ most popular product line is the so-called ‘Stakker® Roll Cradle System’. We focus on these products, because they yield a lot of benefits. This ‘industrial paper mache’ or molding fiber packaging is an ideal solution for storage and transportation of any cylinder-shaped product. They are often used in the paper, plastic and textile industries, but also for steel or PVC tubes.

Stakkers® makes it possible to stack up more rolls on a pallet. It saves storage space and costs. Additionally, it's a more stable and safe way of stacking. You can ship up to two and a half times as much volume in a container or truck, which also drastically reduces shipping costs.

Also, Stakkers® is a sustainable and green product; they are completely recyclable, non-toxic and biodegradable. That's increasingly important to the end user. Our products are available in 42 different sizes, for rolls with a diameter of 5 to 102 centimeters. This is adjusted to market demands. We also supply tailored sizes on request.”

Storage capacity in the Netherlands

Locally, the British islands are served from an office in the UK, and the European mainland is served from Almelo. Business Development Manager James Dahoe from Enschede is responsible for sales and marketing in mainland Europe, together with two EuroDev colleagues. 

“Henry Molded Products has over 300.000 square meters of factory floor space in America. To guarantee fast shipping worldwide, they chose to add local warehousing in Europe. At first, this was arranged from the UK, but Brexit was a reason to expand their warehousing to The Netherlands. This way, we avoid complex export procedures while low-cost shipping to our mainland end users is still possible. That is very important for packaging products.

In our quest to find storage capacity, we conducted two research assignments. Both times Bolk Logistics came out on top. Their location is close to the EuroDev office, and other EuroDev colleagues are using these facilities for local warehousing as well. Bolk Logistics’ team manages the inventory levels and the entry, storage and removal of stock. Transportation is possible on demand. Communication is easy and timely, and the service is good. We are working hard on further expansion into the European market. This will mean that our relationship with Bolk Logistics will expand in the near future.”

Bonus read: How to Set Up European Warehousing

Interested to learn more about local warehousing in Europe?

Check out our service page, Sales Outsourcing, and contact us for support.