Towards a typology of distribution centre facilities
Publication - June 2021
Distribution centres are becoming more and more relevant for spatial planning, due to their rapidly increasing size and number. There is little literature, however, that provides a generalized analysis of the size and functional attributes of distribution centres, and none that discusses the relationships between these attributes. Our aim is to fill this gap by providing new evidence and analysis to understand this relationship.
Methodology
We make use of an extensive database of 2,888 DCs in the Netherlands to develop a new typology of DCs based on the geographical location of DCs, their functional attributes, and client sector characteristics.
Findings
The analysis shows that the context in which medium-sized DCs are operating is more heterogeneous than in the case of very large and small size DCs.
Conclusion
This study is a first attempt to analyse this relationship between facility size and functions based on a rich and extensive dataset of a large population of DCs. The results can serve as input for further quantitative statistical analysis and international comparison.
Authors
- Sander Onstein
- Ishani Bharadwaj
- Lóránt A. Tavasszy
- Dick A. van Damme
- Abdel el Makhloufi
Mainport Logistics research group
This publication is part of the Mainport Logistics research group. Sustainable and efficient regional logistics is crucial for the international competitiveness of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. The Mainport Logistics research group is committed to practice-oriented research in this area, with and for businesses, governments and (other) knowledge institutions.