Location Strategy and Site Selection services are a vital component to maintaining global competitiveness. This requires striking a balance between lowering operating costs, generating new revenue streams and gaining an edge in the attraction and retention of talent. It also means finding the optimal mix of existing and new locations that best meet these requirements, while at the same time providing for business continuity, risk management and implementation speed. In general, understanding the rapidly changing geography of today's business world can give companies a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
GCS Location Strategies ensure logical, defensible and financially sound location and investment decisions across all types of operations, including corporate offices, headquarters, shared services hubs, data centers, manufacturing plants and distribution centers.
There is no “one size fits all” approach but decades of experiential knowledge within our Location Strategies team has allowed us to create methods, tools and procedures that are honed to suit the specific needs of our clients. All projects share a common process framework that starts with a detailed Business Needs Assessment and building organizational alignment around a set of Critical Location Factors (CLFs). Understanding each client’s unique and detailed set of business needs – whether driven by operational, technical, cultural, brand or regulatory requirements – drives our approach, research and analysis.
GCS Site Selection experts utilize a wide variety of consulting methodologies derived from desktop research; GIS mapping; demographic and transportation modeling; primary research that includes community tours, web surveys, and face-to-face employer interviews; economic development engagement and Requests for Information (RFIs); proprietary location database analyses; cost and risk modeling and more. By using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and other decision-making methodologies, NKF is able to effectively evaluate the qualitative aspects of competing location alternatives and the operating cost environment of each place to help our clients make a thoroughly informed decision.
Our Location Strategy and Site Selection team is also highly experienced in pulling together the place and cost comparisons with the challenging realities of sourcing, negotiating, procuring economic incentives and investing in real property. In this way, we are able to deliver a complete location strategy and action plan.
Location Strategy services use data to provide our clients with decision-making confidence and improve overall operational and financial performance based on our unique location strategy, site selection and incentives securing process. Clients turn to us when it’s time to plan and execute a wide variety of strategies, including:
- Corporate Location Strategy & Site Selection
- Relocation, Expansion & Consolidation
- Industrial Supply Chain & Network Modeling
- Workforce & Labor Analytics
Key Location Strategy objectives include:
- Aligning real estate decisions with overall business strategy
- Identifying locations that increase profit potential by minimizing one-time costs and ongoing operating expenses
- Optimizing, procuring and maintaining incentives for new capital projects, expansions, relocations and facility realignments
- Mitigating risks at chosen business locations
The GCS Location Strategy and Site Selection team has extensive experience with labor market analysis; supply chain analysis; utility and infrastructure research; site and building identification and due diligence and incentives negotiations throughout the world. Many of the GCS Location Strategy team members began their career working for private industry, management consultancies and economic development planning agencies. Collectively, these experts have completed hundreds of location strategy and site selection projects for public corporations and private companies globally.