You Added a Second Warehouse. Now What?

Opening a second warehouse was supposed to make things better. Faster shipping. Lower costs. Happier customers.

Instead, you got:

• Two inventory systems that don’t talk to each other
• Manual decisions about which warehouse ships each order
• Split shipments that turn into customer service nightmares
• No clear picture of what’s where

The second warehouse created more problems than it solved.

A Real Example

Here’s what happens without proper routing:

Order comes in: Customer in Chicago orders 3 items.

Without Vectis:

1. Someone checks Phoenix inventory (2 items in stock)
2. Someone checks New Jersey inventory (1 item in stock)
3. Someone decides to ship from Phoenix (closer? maybe?)
4. Phoenix ships 2 items, realizes they don’t have the third
5. New Jersey ships the third item separately
6. Customer gets 2 packages, 2 tracking numbers, confusion
7. Customer calls: “Where’s my order?”
8. You spend 10 minutes figuring out what happened

With Vectis:

1. Order comes in
2. Vectis checks both warehouses automatically
3. Vectis creates 2 shipments: 2 items from Phoenix, 1 from New Jersey
4. Both warehouses see their assignments immediately
5. Customer gets 2 tracking numbers upfront
6. Everyone knows what’s happening

Potential time savings: Eliminating manual routing decisions can save significant time per order.

How Automatic Routing Works

When an order arrives, Vectis evaluates:

1. Inventory Availability

Which warehouses have the items? If only one warehouse has everything, route there. If inventory is split, create split shipments automatically.

2. Customer Location

Where is the customer? A customer in Los Angeles should ship from Phoenix, not New Jersey. Vectis calculates shipping zones via EasyPost integration.

3. Shipping Cost

What’s the real cost difference? Sometimes the “closer” warehouse isn’t cheaper due to carrier contracts. Vectis compares rates across your connected carrier accounts.

4. Your Configuration

Set up routing based on:

• Warehouse priority — Prefer certain warehouses when inventory is available at multiple locations
• Geographic regions — Route West Coast orders to your California warehouse
• Manual override — Reassign any order to a different warehouse before shipping

Real-Time Inventory Across All Locations

One dashboard. Every warehouse. Always current.

SKU	Phoenix	New Jersey	3PL	Total
WIDGET-BLU-SM	150	89	200	439
WIDGET-BLU-LG	0	45	100	145
GADGET-PRO	75	75	0	150

See problems before they become problems:

• Phoenix is out of WIDGET-BLU-LG → transfer from 3PL
• GADGET-PRO isn’t at the 3PL → don’t route those orders there
• Total inventory is dropping → time to reorder

Split Shipments Done Right

Split shipments are inevitable with multiple warehouses. Vectis makes them painless:

For Your Team

• Each warehouse sees only their portion of the order
• Pick lists are warehouse-specific
• No confusion about “who ships what”

For Your Customer

• Single order confirmation with all items
• Multiple tracking numbers clearly labeled
• “Package 1 of 2: Items A, B” / “Package 2 of 2: Item C”
• Automatic notifications as each package ships

For Customer Service

• One screen shows the complete order
• See status of each shipment
• Know exactly where every item is

Works With Your 3PL

Using a third-party logistics provider? Vectis treats them like any other warehouse:

• Orders route to 3PL based on your rules (overflow, specific SKUs, regions)
• 3PL updates status via API integration or manual entry
• Inventory syncs so you always know what they have
• Tracking flows back to your channels automatically

Your customer doesn’t know (or care) that a 3PL fulfilled their order. They just get their package.

Setting Up a New Warehouse

Adding a warehouse takes about 15 minutes:

1. Basic info — Name, address, timezone, contact
2. Carrier accounts — Which carriers ship from this location
3. Inventory — Import via CSV or count manually
4. Routing rules — When should orders go here?
5. Team access — Who can see/manage this warehouse

Each warehouse operates independently. Different carriers, different workflows, different teams. Vectis coordinates everything.

See Your Warehouses Working Together

We’ll show you:

• How orders route automatically between locations
• How split shipments work in practice
• How to set up rules for your specific operation
• How inventory stays in sync

Bring your warehouse addresses and we’ll show you real routing scenarios.

Schedule a demo →

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Common Questions

How many warehouses can I add?

No limit. Most customers have 2-5 locations. We support operations with 20+ warehouses and 3PLs.

What if my warehouses use different carriers?

Each warehouse can have its own carrier accounts, rate preferences, and shipping rules. Vectis uses the right carrier for each location automatically.

Can I manually override the routing?

Yes. Automatic routing is the default, but you can reassign any order to a different warehouse before it ships. Useful for special requests or exceptions.

What about warehouse management (WMS) features?

Vectis includes WMS-lite: pick lists, packing stations, bin locations, inventory adjustments. For complex warehouse operations (wave picking, zone routing, labor management), we integrate with dedicated WMS systems.

How does inventory transfer between warehouses work?

Create a transfer in Vectis. Source warehouse picks and ships. Destination warehouse receives and confirms. Inventory updates automatically at both ends.