WISER Site Selection
Optimization Modeling

WISER Site Selection Optimization Modeling

WISER (Walker Industrial Site Evaluation and Review) is Walker’s break-through computer model that dramatically improves the quality and speed of site selection for manufacturing plants and distribution centers.

Using your custom-defined site selection criteria and facility operating profile, WISER forecasts development and operating costs for the planned operation, quantifying regional and local differences in construction costs, wage rates, tax rates, and so forth. The model then identifies the lowest cost location options that also satisfy your other site selection requirements, anywhere in the U.S.

Among the variables incorporated into WISER are county, zipcode or census tract-level data on:
  • Wage rates by job title, function and level of experience
  • Labor union-specific statistics on organizing activity
  • Cost of electricity for industrial customers
  • Effective tax rates on real estate, personal property and inventory
  • Construction costs
  • Class 1 railroad intermodal terminals, including source/destination matrixes
  • Numerous measures of labor availability and quality
  • Threats of natural disasters and weather-related risks
  • Environmental permitting restrictions
  • Access to seasonal labor
  • And many others
Spatial relationships are easily modeled as well. So if you must be close to an interstate highway, intermodal terminal, river or sea port, LTL terminal, or have any other distance or time-sensitive requirements, these can be addressed along with your cost and qualitative requirements.

Follow this link to view a 2 minute video introduction to WISER.