Stories from logistics infrastructure consulting
Notes drawn from real project files — things we often have to explain again to project owners at the first meeting.
Articles
How many lanes does a port gate handling 1,500 trucks a day need? From 2 to 11, depending on how processing is done
For the same 1,500 trucks/day, a manual gate needs 11 lanes, an OCR gate 4, and a pre-registration card gate 2. One lane short, waiting time can rise from 4 minutes to over 30 minutes.
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How many m² of land does a 10,000-pallet warehouse need? From 0.5 to 1.06 ha, depending on racking and throughput
For the same 10,000 pallets, the warehouse can range from 2,300 to 6,100 m² and the site from 5,200 to 10,600 m². Height, racking type and daily pallet movements largely decide it.
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How many kW of power does a 5,000-pallet cold store need, and what is the annual electricity bill?
A 5,000-pallet freezer store needs about 70–140 kW of compressor power, with electricity costs of 0.7–1.4 billion VND/year. The biggest variable is not the panels but the air infiltrating through the doors.
Read article →Warehouse rooftop solar: the South gets 56% more sun, but the payoff is barely higher
On the same 10,000 m² of roof, the South generates 56% more electricity than the North, but if the daytime load is small, electricity bill savings are only about 5% higher. System size must follow the load, not the roof.
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Outlet planning in Hanoi: seven gateway sites and the logistics challenge behind the counter
Hanoi has set aside space for seven outlet centers at its gateways, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade has just issued an outlet scheme. For project owners, an outlet is first of all a question of warehouses, trucks and cargo flow.
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Inland waterway ports for container barges: parameters that must be finalized before drawing the berth
Berth length, elevation and handling equipment all follow from six input parameters. Miss one, and the finished berth may not be able to receive the intended type of barge.
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Expanding an operating warehouse: what must phase 1 reserve for phase 2?
Phase 2 expansion costs are largely determined in the phase 1 drawings. Five items to reserve early and three deliverables the project owner should require from the consultant.
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For the same logistics center: clean land, a leased industrial park plot, or buying an old warehouse?
Three ways of securing land create three different spending schedules, risks and design scopes. Compare options on total cash flow, not just land price or purchase price.
Read article →Leased warehouses earn more than space rent: which design lets you sell services inside the warehouse?
Management fees, lifting, handling and value-added services generate revenue, but they also take up docks, labor, buffer space and data infrastructure.
Read article →AS/RS warehouse: six interfaces between building and machine to lock down before signing the equipment purchase
A robot quote does not cover the whole facility. Lock the interfaces between structure, foundation, electrical, fire protection, data and operations before choosing a configuration.
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AGV parking: the number of spaces does not tell you how long customers will wait
Evaluate high-rise parking by peak-hour pickup and drop-off capacity, rescue capability and total construction cost, not just parking density.
Read article →How are logistics center design consulting costs calculated?
Consulting fees should not be estimated mechanically by area. Six groups of inputs determine the scope, workload and reliability of a design quote.
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Investment project preparation process for a logistics center, from survey to appraisal
A practical roadmap for locking down market demand, operating plan, site, total investment and legal documents before submitting for appraisal.
Read article →Checklist for selecting an ICD (dry port) design consultant
Ten criteria help investors check legal capacity, operating experience, key personnel, handover scope and coordination responsibilities before signing a contract.
Read article →From TEU/year to land area: how to determine the size of an ICD (dry port)
An ICD's size cannot be fixed with a standard land-per-unit ratio. It must start from throughput, operating days, dwell time, peak factor and handling technology.
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Choose a logistics center location using data, not just land prices
Low land prices cannot rescue a site that lacks cargo sources and connectivity. Six groups of data help compare locations before locking in the master plan and investment capital.
Read article →AGV, AMR or AS/RS: which step should businesses automate first?
Don't start with the equipment catalog. Measure cargo flow, bottlenecks, travel distance and stability before choosing AGVs, AMRs or AS/RS.
Read article →Simulating vehicle flows before building an ICD: what 5 questions must a Digital Twin answer?
A good-looking model is not enough. Simulation must quantify queues, equipment productivity, traffic conflicts, resilience and the expansion roadmap.
Read article →Cold storage design: 7 decisions that must be finalized before drawing the floor plan
Temperature is only the starting point. Cargo type, refrigeration load, zoning, docks, building envelope, backup power and fire protection must be solved together as one operating flow.
Read article →Appraising logistics center investment: don't just look at IRR
IRR can look good while the project still runs short of cash. Read it together with NPV, breakeven capacity, cash flow, investment phasing and market scenarios.
Read article →What is the difference between an ICD, a dry port and a logistics center when preparing a project?
The three terms are often used interchangeably. Distinguishing them correctly from the start helps fix the operating chain, land demand and documents to be prepared.
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6 sets of input data for preparing a logistics center project without having to redo it
Don't start with a warehouse drawing. These six groups of data turn an idea into a verifiable site layout, phasing and total investment.
Read article →3 common errors in laying out the container yard in ICD master plan documents
Turning radius, block orientation and customs inspection gate location — three places where an ICD plan that looks good on paper can still cause congestion in operation.
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Warehouse floor elevation and dock doors: figures the owner lives with throughout the operating life
A difference of a few tens of centimeters between the warehouse floor and the truck bed determines how that warehouse can be loaded and unloaded, and it can hardly be fixed later.
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What a design review checks, and why the design firm cannot check it itself
A design review is not a token re-read of the drawings. These are the topics a review report should be able to answer.
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How is an air cargo terminal different from a regular warehouse?
Both are warehouses, but security constraints, airside traffic separation and cargo handling equipment make the design problem entirely different.
Read article →What a detailed 1/500 master plan dossier for a logistics center includes
Dossier components, sequence of steps and input data to prepare before starting.
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Modular prefabricated houses: why the construction site is gradually moving into the factory
Building most of the structure in a factory and then shipping it out for assembly — this changes the order of design work and the owner's risks.
Read article →Smart warehouse: the difficult part lies in the structural drawings, not in the robot
AS/RS, autonomous vehicles and warehouse management software can only run if the column grid, floor levels and floor load are right from the basic design.
Read article →Green warehouse: from a voluntary matter to a condition in the lease contract
International shippers' commitment to carbon neutrality is translating into technical requirements for warehouses — and much of it must be resolved at the design stage.
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