For an international manufacturer, separating storage, customs formalities, and distribution multiplies the interfaces to manage. In 2025, 72 % of Swiss imports came from the EU. In the flows between Switzerland and the European Union, each disruption can affect the availability of products and the execution of orders. The challenge is therefore to connect these operations around coherent stock information.
Why outsourced warehousing is an operational challenge in Switzerland
A manufacturer supplying Switzerland must coordinate the arrival of goods, their local availability, and their shipment to recipients. Although a mutual recognition agreement between Switzerland and the EU covers 20 sectors, Customs formalities and cross-border transport add to the usual operations of receiving, storing, and preparing.
The approach "Outsourced warehousing services for international manufacturers" meets this need when it groups these operations into a common framework. The manufacturer retains its customer commitments and entrusts the physical execution to a provider.
STAR Logistique intervenes after this definition of needs. The company is customs broker in Geneva and specialized in transportation in Switzerland, France, and Europe.
The determining question then becomes concrete: what does the partner actually take care of between the receipt of goods and their shipment?
What outsourced warehousing means for an international manufacturer
Outsourced warehousing refers to the delegation of storage, inventory management, and certain distribution operations to a logistics provider. A 3PL, or third-party logistics provider, performs these activities on behalf of the manufacturer.
A model of contract logistics can combine warehousing, distribution, and transportation with the same operator. This organization creates a shared responsibility for physical flows and associated information, as explained in this presentation of contract logistics [1].
From storage space to flow management
For a manufacturer entering Switzerland or serving this market, outsourced warehousing generally includes:
- the receipt of goods;
- inventory placement and quantity control;
- order preparation;
- packaging and labeling;
- returns management.
The need may involve long-term warehousing or temporary storage before distribution.
STAR Logistique offers warehousing and inventory management solutions in Switzerland and internationally.
Operations that go beyond storage
The e-logistics services of STAR Logistique cover storage, inventory management, receiving, the preparation of orders, picking, cross-docking, packaging, and returns.
The scope entrusted to the provider must specify the incoming flows, product references, preparation rules, and destinations.
Linking receiving, inventory visibility, and distribution Switzerland–Europe
Warehousing in Switzerland is linked to distribution to France and European markets through a continuous flow of information and goods. The warehouse becomes a coordination point between receiving, customs, preparation, and transport.
Read Passar, the new Swiss system for managing the digital traffic of goods.
A coordinated flow from receiving to shipping
Depending on the chosen configuration, the process may follow this order:
- Receiving and inspection of goods.
- Recording of references and warehousing.
- Providing visibility on inventory.
- Preparation and packaging of orders.
- Cross-docking when the flow justifies it.
- Customs formalities when necessary.
- Distribution in Switzerland, in France or to other European markets.
A WMS (Warehouse Management System) is a software for warehouse management that tracks inventory, processes orders, and ensures traceability. Read the Guide for Integrating Ecommerce and Warehouse Management (WMS) in Switzerland written by Emaloja for more details.
STAR Logistique uses a WMS for real-time tracking, order processing, and traceability. Its clients also have a direct access to their inventory via the WMS. They can consult it, manage it, and plan their replenishment according to their needs.
The platforms in Geneva and France serve as points for consolidating goods. This setup helps coordinate the storage and shipping of flows between Switzerland and France.
The capacities tailored for products and cross-border flows
The storage infrastructure in Geneva, located on the right bank, includes modular temperature-controlled areas. The warehouses are located near the airport, highway, and public transport.
The services are aimed particularly at the luxury, pharmaceutical, and high-tech sectors. STAR Logistique also ensures the refrigerated logistics of temperature-sensitive products as well as the secure handling of valuable goods.
The manufacturer retains control over its offerings, its products, and its customer commitments. The partner provides the operational means necessary for the goods to reach the companies or individuals concerned.
How to evaluate a third-party warehousing partner in Switzerland
The criteria to compare when choosing a Swiss 3PL cover infrastructure, inventory visibility, Fulfillment, customs expertise, and access to transportation. The grid must also test the adequacy between the provider's capabilities, the products, and the variations in volumes.
📋 Criterion
❓ Question to the provider
🔎 Point to check
🏭 Proof at STAR Logistique
📋 Infrastructure
❓ Where will the products be stored and under what conditions?
🔎 Location, safety, modularity, temperature
🏭 Modular climate-controlled areas in Geneva
📋 Management system
❓ What access will we have to the inventory and movements?
🔎 Real-time tracking, traceability, replenishment, integration
🏭 WMS with direct client access
📋 Fulfillment operations
❓ What steps do you manage from receiving to shipping?
🔎 Control, picking, packing, labeling, cross-docking
🏭 Receiving, preparation, picking, packing, and cross-docking
📋 Customs and transportation
❓ Who coordinates the declarations and cross-border distribution?
🔎 Responsibilities, documents, serviced areas
🏭 Customs clearance and transportation in Switzerland, France, and Europe
📋 Specific product handling
❓ What conditions do you apply to our goods?
🔎 Temperature, safety, traceability, handling
🏭 Cold and secure handling of valuable goods
📋 Returns
❓How are returns received and reintegrated?
🔎 Control, status, restocking, information
🏭 Management of returns
📋 Volume variations
❓What capacities can be mobilized during variations?
🔎 Forecasts, saturation thresholds, processing commitments
🏭 —
📋 Service indicators
❓What indicators will be shared and how often?
🔎 Stock accuracy, processing, incidents, returns
🏭 —
📋 Overall service cost
❓What items will be billed across the entire flow?
🔎 Storage, handling, preparation, customs, transport, returns
🏭 —
To determine if outsourcing is suitable for variable volumes, document order profiles, periods of variation, and international needs. Ask the provider to specify their mobilizable capacities, forecasting rules, saturation thresholds, and processing commitments.
The overall cost must include all billed items and the frictions avoided between storage, preparation, customs, and transport. STAR Logistique ensures the customs clearance. Its services in France also emphasize security, confidentiality, and compliance.
Transform this grid into a specifications document before consulting a provider.
In summary: choose an operational continuity suitable for the Swiss market
A relevant outsourcing connects warehouse operations, stock visibility, customs, and distribution. It provides operational continuity rather than just a storage space. STAR Logistique offers warehousing services in Switzerland and internationally, with inventory management.
To assess the appropriate configuration, communicate your incoming flows, your product constraints, your destination markets, and your storage needs. These elements will allow for a precise definition of the operations to entrust and the control points to retain.