Business loans for 3PL and fulfilment businesses

Ardent Capital Group brings the same method to every client: execution and strategy, clear advice for smart lending, and long-term growth. That means the right lender, structure and timing, straight advice so you borrow with confidence, and today's deal built toward where you want to be tomorrow. We are specialists in helping business owners secure finance to purchase their own property, and we understand the complex structures that often sit around it, including multiple trusts, holding companies and self-managed super funds. Through that work we also understand what the business needs from its cash flow, and where an overdraft or line of credit fits for working capital. A 3PL that spends on racking, forklifts and labour weeks before a client pays can read as thin to a generalist bank desk that sees the outgoings and not the signed contract behind them. Our role is to know the bank and non-bank lenders, more than sixty across our panel, that treat a contract book and a debtor ledger as the real security, so you are not putting that case to each desk yourself. We stay on as you win the next contract, add floor space or buy another operator. Every figure is subject to serviceability, lender appetite and approval.

It depends on how quickly you need it and what you are willing to offer as security. Unsecured facilities are assessed mainly on trading strength and can be arranged in days, which suits a limit of $100K to $500K to mobilise a contract or bridge payroll. Secured facilities, backed by property or plant, support larger amounts and price at a better level, and make sense once you are funding an acquisition or a full new-site fit-out. Most established operators end up with a mix, and we shape which sits where.

It depends on your trading, your structure and the purpose, but lending here commonly runs from $100K to well into seven figures, and our range extends to $100M for larger operators. A signed client contract and a healthy debtor ledger both add to the case, because they show the revenue behind the spend. The binding constraint is usually serviceability rather than security, and we shape the funding early so you know your number before you commit.

Yes, and the equipment is normally the security rather than your property. Forklifts, reach trucks, racking, shelving and mezzanine can all be funded new or used, and a full new-site fit-out can go on one facility. Terms are typically matched to the life of the asset, and established businesses can often be assessed on bank statements and BAS rather than full financials. Dealer and manufacturer programs are available too, which we compare against a bank facility.

By funding the whole ramp as a package, not the racking alone. A new contract means fit-out, handling gear, labour and systems going in weeks before the first invoice, so the facility has to carry the spend plus the run in period before revenue lands. We size it to the mobilisation and set repayments to start landing once the contract is billing. Bring us the contract terms and the fit-out scope early, subject to serviceability and lender approval.

No. Plenty of operators fund growth without touching the family home, either through unsecured facilities assessed on trading and the debtor ledger, or by securing against the forklifts and racking being purchased. Property security does support a larger limit and better pricing, so it is worth considering once you are borrowing well into seven figures or funding an acquisition. The choice is yours, and we will show you what each option costs before you commit.

An unsecured facility can often be approved within 48 hours and funded inside a week where the business is established and the BAS and bank statements are current. Secured facilities take longer, typically two to four weeks, because a valuation is involved. The practical advice is to open the limit before the peak arrives, ideally when you are planning the labour and stock ramp rather than when the wages are already due. Timeframes are indicative and subject to lender appetite and approval.

Yes. Many lenders assess established businesses on 6 to 12 months of bank statements and recent BAS rather than full year-end financials, which suits an operator whose accounts lag a contract won last quarter. It works best where the trading account shows regular client receipts and the ATO position is current. If you have a payment plan in place, say so early, because several lenders will still proceed when it is disclosed and being met.

Yes, and it is a commercial property deal rather than a working capital one. The trading of the business and the industrial property are read together, so getting your contracts and cash flow presented properly is most of the work. Owner-occupiers can generally borrow a higher proportion than a passive investor would. Our commercial property team handles these end to end through our 3PL depot commercial mortgage service.

Most of the time, no. We are paid a commission by the lender once your facility settles. Where a deal requires significant preparation or involves unusual complexity, a small mandate fee may apply. We will always be upfront about this before any work begins.

Although we are based in Sydney, we service clients across all major Australian cities, including Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart, along with their surrounding regional areas. Wherever your business is located, we can arrange your finance.

Although our main speciality is property loans for business owners, such as a property loan for your distribution depot, we also assist with forklift and materials-handling finance and working capital. On asset finance, that covers forklifts, reach trucks, racking and materials handling, including forklift finance against the equipment itself. On working capital, we arrange business overdrafts, lines of credit and debtor finance. We also arrange commercial mortgages if you are buying or refinancing the warehouse or depot you operate from.