How to Streamline Warehouse Storage

Growth for your business is not a bad thing at all, but it can mean that things can get a bit tight and you can run out of space without proper planning for the business increase.

Many business owners may think that simply moving to a bigger warehouse is the general solution to the problem, but that could be jumping a pretty expensive gun – especially when more cost-effective solutions do not involve full disruption by moving premises. Simply optimizing your storage space is a more suitable solution in most cases.

Identify the Problem

The first step is simple in realising that you are running out of space and need to optimise the area. There could be many reasons why you are running out of space, ranging from a poor pallet racking design to aisles that are too wide to inaccessibility issues.

If you know that you are going through a growth issue and that it is set to continue, increasing your storage space becomes the main focus. By inspecting the warehouse, you need to look for exactly how much dead space is surrounding your operations.

This could fall into underutilised areas or corners where empty boxes and tools are stored unnecessarily. This could even fall into bare walls that could have commercial shelving installed. Identifying this dead space is a key factor in boosting your current warehouse space.

Aisle Space

Dead space goes beyond forgotten corners and into areas that you didn’t previously consider. One of the most common areas is the allotment of aisle space that you currently use – or rather are not using.

Shallow storage may give you more room to move around but it decreases the amount of inventory you can store. By extending your pallet racking system, you can take up more floor space without obstructing equipment and walkways.

Mezzanine floors are also a great way to make the most out of your space by raising your storage area and providing up to 50% more storage as a result. Mezzanine racking does depend on warehouse set-up, but it could be another great option for storage in your current environment.

System Change

Sometimes it simply calls for disposing of your outdated racking system for something more streamlined – which is still cheaper than shifting your entire operation to a bigger complex.

If you have upped your inventory of particular products, double deep racking may be the better option in an upgrade. This allows for items to be stacked two-deep, which doubles your industrial storage in a single area whilst improving accessibility in storing similar items together.

For smaller items, you could also opt towards keeping them on commercial shelving in a single area so that storage of bigger items can be better maximised.

Contact the team at Monarch Shelving today for all warehouse storage equipment to maximise your existing space.