The nature of warehouses within the supply chain varies, and can be adopted in various
forms of classification, among other things including the following:
By the product type: examples include perishable products, frozen foods,
explosive items, small spare parts and security items.
By the stage in the supply chain: a warehouse could be meant to carry either
materials, work-in-progress or finished goods depending on where it is situated
in the supply chain.
By geographic location: a warehouse is situated to serve only a certain
geographical area like a region, a whole state or even the whole world.
By function: that is whether to just hold inventory or for sorting.
By company usage: it could be meant for use by just one company, or shared
amongst various users in handling the supply chain. (Rushton et al.2010, 226.)