By Indhira Desangles
Special for El Inmobiliario
Renting industrial warehouses in the Dominican Republic has countless advantages; however, I would like to begin by providing some context about the diversity of warehouses available on the market:
Industrial buildings are industrial facilities used for the production and/or storage of goods, as well as machinery, workers, transportation, and the safe entry and exit of merchandise. Their characteristics, requirements, and construction types will depend on the type of business or activity carried out within them.
The type of construction of the ships ranges from:
– Metal structure. Less rigid, the beams are lightweight and easy to construct.
– Concrete structure. More rigid, with heavier beams for transport and slower to build than the metal one.
– Mixed structure that combines both materials.
Its roofing ranges from: Sandwich type – Deck – self-supporting – simple.
Industrial buildings are classified as follows:
Class A: These facilities offer the highest standards of construction and services. They house multinational corporations with footprints exceeding 2,500 square meters and can accommodate multiple tenants. They may be located within an industrial park with services and infrastructure, in premium locations. They include a loading dock, parking and maneuvering area, plus offices.
Class B: less standardized construction than Class A. Their footprint starts at 1,500 square meters. They can accommodate one or more users. They are located in Class B locations. They have less ramp capacity, fewer parking spaces and maneuvering areas, and smaller offices.
Class C: These buildings don't have specific construction standards and are more basic. Their footprint starts at 500 square meters and they accommodate a single tenant. They lack ramps and have limited parking.
However, in the Dominican Republic, although all these types of industrial buildings exist, the current supply does not meet the demand. In this context, the market has diversified its offerings, with developers now providing "build-to-suit" or "custom-built" buildings, either within industrial parks or free trade zones, or on independent sites, constructed according to the specific requirements and needs of each company.
- The opportunity to build your custom ship:
It is ideal for companies whose requirements are not standard but rather very specific to their type of business. It applies to local and international companies, logistics operators, manufacturing companies, warehousing companies, and companies with many specialized requirements, such as companies in free trade zones, the healthcare sector, electronics, tobacco, jewelry, and even call centers: Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO).
With this arrangement, the tenant company would not incur the high cost of construction, adaptations and remodeling, in exchange for long-term leases with the owner with a return on investment for the developer.
A survey of the company's requirements, or "wish list", is conducted, such as: quantity and distribution of offices, ramp, heights, warehouses, internal distribution, parking, spaces for containers, security requirements, to mention a few.
2. The location must be strategic:
One of the most important factors when looking for a space is location. For example, if your core business involves importing or exporting, distribution time and costs are key factors in your choice. Therefore, the location of the warehouse or the free trade zone or industrial park where your company will be located should be selected according to the destinations of your business activities: importing raw materials or delivering/exporting finished products. Often, we choose a location near the port we use. Important ports to mention include DP World and the Port of Haina.
The choice of location should also consider access to transportation, because remember that you must also think about your employees and workforce who will have to travel to and from the warehouse every day.
3. Prefers class A:
As we saw earlier, industrial buildings have very specific characteristics, and those with premium location and construction offer high international quality standards, for example: they have fire tanks, independent transformers, maneuvers are carried out in reinforced concrete, they have office areas, they have LED lighting, etc.
4. Secure infrastructure:
The location of the warehouse should be carefully considered, so I recommend choosing locations within free trade zones and industrial parks, which provide 24/7 security and protection, as well as ensuring the necessary controls in case of fires, connectivity failures, etc.; all of this contributes to ensuring the safety and well-being of the company and its employees.
5. Free height:
The taller an industrial building, the more storage space it offers. Vertical logistics storage is undoubtedly more functional than horizontal storage, and it also optimizes inventory control and management, as it's easier to organize product categories by column.
6. Flexibility in rental periods:
The property you're considering renting should suit your needs and offer a variety of rental periods, from short to long-term contracts, with conditions that benefit both the owner and the tenant, as it's a long-term, win-win relationship.
