Michiana connections: central location, good roads, and rail.

• Author: Sepaala, Omar

Michiana's central location to a large percentage of the U.S. population is a major draw for firms looking for affordable solutions in shipping, warehousing and distribution in the heart of the Midwest. By strategically locating manufacturing or warehouse and distribution facilities in Michiana, companies benefit from close proximity to major markets, including Chicago, Indianapolis, Toledo and Detroit. The Michiana region is within a five-hour radius of 44 million people.

For next day, small package ground and less-than-truckload services, Michiana is tough to beat. In fact, according to UPS, the South Bend hub has the second-largest, over-the-road, overnight ground delivery, in terms of population, out of any of its U.S. centers. The South Bend hub serves a next-day population of 47 million people. The counties in Southwest Michigan are handled through the Grand Rapids hub, which is considered the second best in the Midwest region for next-day ground delivery capability.

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Leon Bertschy, who manages a distribution facility in South Bend says that his internal metrics show he can save costs by shipping ground verses air 99 percent of the time from his Michiana location. "Less-than-truckload service provided by carriers like Conway and FedEx Freight is even better, reaching more than 70 million people next day and reaching nearly two-thirds of the U.S...