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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

New Day for Old Industrials

Facility reuse saves dollars and makes sense to both the seller and tenant, as well as to the economic developer.

Feb/Mar 08
 As American manufacturers struggle to stay competitive in an industry that is rapidly shifting overseas, commercial property developers are clamoring to find creative, cost-effective solutions for warehouse and distribution space. Gone are the days of assembly-line to shipping operations being housed under one giant roof in Small Town, USA. Today's manufacturing industry leaders have fragmented their operations due to sheer economics. Whether they are assembling goods in China or North Carolina, one constant remains: manufacturers need stateside distribution and warehouse space, and they don't want to break the bank getting it.

Modern manufacturers are investing heavily in technology and systems to increase productivity and functionality of their front-end operations. Innovations in recent years have transformed the face of production, and with each new development, operations become more sophisticated and efficient and less reliant on manpower. Conversely, warehousing and distribution are largely a matter of sufficient cubic feet, proper structural and property components, and access to transportation routes. While innovations - such as keeping inventory electronically, for instance - are being implemented by more and more manufacturers every day, the storing and shipping end of the cycle is largely a nuts-and-bolts operation that requires far less specialization.

While, from a logistics perspective, a company's ideal scenario might be to have all operations under one roof, from a dollars-and-cents standpoint, more often than not it makes much more sense to utilize a separate location for distribution and manufacturing. In the numbers game that industry is at its core, the goal is to find the least expensive set of variables: building overhead and upkeep, long-term investment, and transportation/freight.

Practicality and Creativity
For a commercial property developer, this is where practicality and creativity meet. The globalization of manufacturing has left countless large U.S. industrial properties vacant or underutilized, particularly in small- to mid-sized inland markets in the South and Midwest. At the same time, land and construction prices are skyrocketing, making new facilities pricey undertakings - in the event that well-positioned, appropriate land is available in the first place.

Adaptive reuse is a favored buzzword in commercial property circles and for good reason. By purchasing abandoned or underutilized manufacturing facilities at a reasonable price, making necessary structural changes - often minor for warehousing and distribution purposes - and passing along the good deals to future tenants, developers are providing sound solutions for tenants, sellers, and local economic development interests alike.

From a seller's standpoint, the longer a property sits vacant, the lower its eventual price tag and the higher the likelihood that, by falling into gradual disrepair, it will eventually become a liability rather than an asset. By selling while the structure is still viable, the owner relieves himself of the liability and overhead of upkeep on the building.

Economic development offices are tasked with not only recruiting industry to their areas, but also with coming up with solutions for companies once they arrive. While many offices are building their own industrial parks and then working to lease them, it is a plum situation when an outside firm comes in, buys a property, renovates it, and then works with local entities to find the right tenants for the space.

Furthermore, small- to mid-market areas, their work forces, and their economies have felt the hardest blows of globalization's effects. Not only have jobs and operations gone overseas, but also with those moves, once-bustling industry towns now have empty buildings on their hands. By investing in those properties while they are still salvageable, developers are, as a byproduct, helping these markets keep brownfields off their resumes.

Tenants are the ultimate beneficiaries of adaptive reuse. Rather than building a new warehouse or distribution facility, a tenant now has the option to lease or purchase renovated space at a competitive price, keeping overhead down and business profitable. Ideally, a developer will work with a site selector or company contact as early as possible to ensure that the property is retrofitted appropriately to meet the tenant's needs. It goes without saying that timing is a critical factor in manufacturing. Time lost - be that due to an unfinished building or a logistical error - is money lost. A successful adaptive reuse situation will be one that does not hinder the manufacturer logistically, but rather provides a simple, yet well-orchestrated solution.


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