4 Ways Kansas City Has Grown into a Warehousing Logistics Hub
Picking a city for a new warehouse space can be a tricky task. Location, workforce availability, and other important factors play into this important decision. For many, the Kansas City region sits in the sweet spot.
With ever-expanding capacity, geographic flexibility, and pre-existing transportation infrastructure, Kansas City has built itself up to be quite the warehousing hub. If you’re on the lookout for a well-rounded warehouse location, the KC metro is worth a second look.
1. Central Geography
Kansas City is one of the closest major cities to the geographic center of the mainland United States (Lebanon, KS takes that official honor). As a result, it’s perfectly situated for distribution. Coastal warehouses, while close to major ports, may struggle with general reach to other regions. Kansas City warehouse spaces, on the other hand, are strategically sound for broad and versatile fulfillment services.
2. Robust Road and Rail Infrastructure
Along with central geography comes a crossroads of infrastructure. The Kansas City region has built up an intersecting network of railroads and highways that splay out in all directions. That’s not to mention the freight operations at Kansas City International Airport. Trucks run from the Canadian to the Mexican borders along I-29 and I-35 and cruise coast to coast on I-70. It’s a perfect location for trucking-based retail fulfillment.
Complementing this intersection of major highways? One of the nation’s most substantial rail centers. Multiple Class 1 rail carriers like Union Pacific and BNSF operate in the region. And with Kansas City Southern vying for a merger with CN, the region is likely to become the center point of a rail service connecting Canada and Mexico. Warehousing proximity to this rail infrastructure promises convenience and efficiency.
3. Substantial Workforce
Kansas City boasts a regional population of more than 2 million people. This substantial population offers a large talent pool to draw from for warehouse staffing. Currently, there are more than 150,000 logistics and warehousing employees in the KC metro area. The region is growing, too. Kansas City, MO itself has seen its population grow by more than 9 percent since 2010.
4. Modern Warehouse Facilities
Rapid commercial warehousing growth is setting up the Kansas City region for success. Total warehouse space in the region has grown by 45 million square feet since 2012, and it’s not slowing down. Scarbrough itself has acquired 226 thousand square feet of space in a brand-new, fully racked warehouse.
Meanwhile, a new 167,000 square-feet cold storage facility is set to start construction in Liberty.
Scarbrough Warehousing is ready to help you take advantage of Kansas City’s warehousing advantages. Contact us to learn more.
