A European establishment does not start with the choice of a warehouse.
It starts with a much broader question:
How to build an organisation capable of moving products, information, and orders in a simple, coherent, and manageable way?
It is in this context that I am currently supporting an international brand wishing to structure its distribution in Europe.
The context
The company already has an international activity and now wishes to build a European organisation capable of managing two types of complementary flows:
- a distribution B2B, aimed at resellers and partners;
- a distribution B2C, directly to end customers via e-commerce.
Behind this organisation, several subjects quickly emerge that need to be articulated: international transport, importation, storage, order preparation, distribution, information systems, taxation, and coordination of the various partners.
The challenge is therefore not simply to find a warehouse.
It is about building a European Supply Chain as a whole.
Build the framework before choosing the players
Before consulting service providers, it is necessary to precisely understand what the organisation will need to absorb. It is from these elements that the future operational framework can be constructed:
Import → European Warehouse / 3PL → B2B & B2C Distribution
This first step mainly helps to avoid a common mistake: choosing a service provider before clearly defining what is actually expected from them.
Structure
The first part of the work consists of laying the foundations for future operations.
This involves, in particular:
- the analysis of volumes, SKUs, and storage needs;
- the definition of import and reception flows;
- the organisation of storage and order preparation ;
- the distinction between B2B and B2C needs ;
- the definition of transport and distribution schemes ;
- the identification of ERP, EDI and data exchange needs ;
- the clarification of roles between the different stakeholders.
The objective is to make the future operation understandable and manageable even before its implementation.
Select the right partners
Once the scheme is defined, several logistics providers can be consulted.
A price remains obviously important.
But it is not enough.
To select a 3PL partner capable of sustainably supporting a company, other criteria must be included in the analysis :
operational capacity, flexibility, tools, quality of exchanges, understanding of flows, B2B/B2C capacity, scalability and level of support.
The objective is therefore not only to compare price lists.
It is to understand which organisation will actually work once the first goods arrive.
Connect the expertise
A European Supply Chain rarely operates around a single player. Each stakeholder has their expertise, constraints and tools.
The difficulty then lies in making them work within a common organisation.
This is where Archiprojets intervenes as a coordination point, with a global vision of the project and its different components.
The objective is not to replace specialists.
It is to ensure that their expertise progresses in the same direction.
Thinking of B2B and B2C as two different flows
Another feature of the project lies in the coexistence of B2B and B2C flows.
The two sometimes come from the same stock, but their operational needs are very different.
A B2B order can represent several boxes or pallets intended for a distributor.
A B2C order may contain only a single item to be shipped directly to an individual.
Preparation, packaging, transport, deadlines, tracking information or returns management: the processes are therefore not the same.
The organisation must allow these two models to coexist without creating two independent and unnecessarily complex Supply Chains.
Managing until implementation
A logistics scheme ultimately has value only when it works on the ground.
The project does not stop at the choice of a warehouse or the delivery of a recommendation.
Once the partners are selected, it remains to align processes, organise exchanges, distribute responsibilities and prepare for operational implementation.
It is this continuity between reflection and execution that seems essential to me.
Understanding the need, structuring, comparing, choosing, connecting, and then moving forward.
A Supply Chain designed to support growth
When a company develops its business in a new market, its logistics organisation must be able to evolve with it.
The right model is therefore not necessarily the one that only responds to today's volumes.
It is the one that offers enough structure to operate now, while retaining enough flexibility to absorb what comes next.
Structuring today to have a clear, scalable and manageable European Supply Chain tomorrow.
Anonymised case study – project supported by Archiprojets.
Are you working on a logistics implementation or structuring project in Europe?
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