Define each service and responsibility
Separate warehousing, third-party logistics, fulfilment, cross-dock, freight forwarding, brokerage, linehaul management, last-mile coordination, cold storage, dangerous-goods storage, returns, value-added services, and customer-dedicated operations. Record who owns the goods, who contracts with the carrier, who controls transport decisions, and who carries loss, damage, delay, recall, and compliance responsibilities.
A logistics company can be a warehouse operator, contracting carrier, consignor, consignee, loader, packer, scheduler, broker, or another party depending on the actual activity. Do not assign a Chain of Responsibility role from the company label alone.
Test customer contracts and site economics
- signed agreements, rate cards, minimum charges, storage rules, handling, value-added work, indexation, surcharges, and service levels
- term, renewal, termination, assignment, change of control, liability, insurance, liens, subcontracting, and transition assistance
- revenue and contribution by customer, site, service, activity, unit, and labour model
- committed versus variable space, peak demand, overflow, dedicated assets, and customer-funded improvements
- claims, credits, shrinkage, damage, service failures, disputes, and customer concentration
Warehouse occupancy, order history, or repeat volumes are not guaranteed revenue. Buyers will test contract rights, customer behaviour, pricing, capacity, labour, site commitments, and alternatives.
Reconcile custody, inventory, and customer property
Customer stock is not the warehouse operator's inventory. Reconcile ownership, custody, location, quantity, status, batch or serial traceability, quarantine, damage, returns, recalls, write-offs, and access rights across warehouse systems and physical counts.
- document receiving, put-away, picking, packing, dispatch, cycle count, stocktake, adjustment, and investigation controls
- separate saleable, quarantined, damaged, returned, recalled, expired, customer-owned, and company-owned goods
- review contractual liability, insurance, limits, exclusions, notification, evidence, and claims history
- test business continuity, backup, cyber, access, integration, and customer-data controls
Map sites, equipment, safety, and dangerous goods
Prepare lease, title, planning, fire, access, security, utility, racking, loading, refrigeration, automation, maintenance, inspection, and expansion evidence for each site. Record ownership, finance, condition, utilisation, capacity, and replacement needs for forklifts, material-handling equipment, racking, scanners, conveyors, vehicles, and technology.
Workplace safety, hazardous chemicals, dangerous goods, environment, fire, transport, and local requirements can follow different jurisdictional pathways. Map the actual goods and activities rather than describing every warehouse as subject to one regime.
Prove systems, people, and operating continuity
Document warehouse management, transport management, ERP, EDI, customer portals, integrations, billing, master data, cybersecurity, backups, disaster recovery, access controls, and manual fallback. Reconcile system reports to contracts, invoices, payroll, stock records, and service evidence.
Map site managers, supervisors, planners, inventory control, customer service, safety, maintenance, systems administration, key-person dependencies, employment terms, licences, competencies, and realistic retention risk. Use the Australian employee guide before making workforce commitments.
Assess value, working capital, and buyer terms
Buyers may examine maintainable earnings, contracts, concentration, site commitments, labour, systems, custody controls, transport exposure, claims, assets, capital expenditure, working capital, people, and owner dependence. There is no universal logistics multiple.
Compare price mechanics, cash, debt, leases, working capital, assets, deferred amounts, warranties, indemnities, customer consents, employee process, systems transition, and seller duties. Use the Australian seller diligence checklist.