The Importance of Decluttering the Warehouse

Have you ever struggled to find space to store goods, even at off-peak times? Or has your supplier changed their packaging style, leaving you to struggle with accommodating them in the same place? What about your stock in general? Has it ever gone missing? If you have answered “yes” to any of these, you may want to consider decluttering the warehouse.

Decluttering the Warehouse will be a Benefit to your Business

Space constraints are a big problem with many warehouses. However, they don’t have to be. With an increase in online shopping, next day delivery options and better automation, there has been a massive increase in how much freight warehouses process. In all industries, whether it be fashion or household, most distribution centres report a higher processing volume.

The Downside: Clutter

In many warehouses, the issue doesn’t always lie with the stored products. Instead, there is a blockage of space caused by existing clutter and racking. Clutter can be anything, from missorted stock to damaged tools and broken pallets. If you take the time to hunt around the warehouse, you’ll be surprised by how much you will find. Here, we have a selection of tips for getting rid of clutter in the warehouse.

Clean Consistently

It may seem extremely obvious, but many warehouse workers are guilty of shoving debris out the way during a busy shift. This can pile up very quickly under machines, racking and in corners. The best solution for this? Deploy a dedicated cleaning crew, whether it be a single person or a team, who will scour the building during each shift. Any debris found can then be disposed of in the correct manner.

Broken pallets also constitute clutter and a hazard. Most warehouses must keep any pallets, whether they be broken or whole, until the supplier collects them. The waiting period for collection could be anywhere between a few weeks to a few months. Working out a quicker pick-up schedule with your pallet supplier can help to keep spaces clear for longer.

A New Layout Works Wonders

Due to many warehouses naturally filling up as time does by, there is often an essence of organised chaos. The racking and machinery are often installed due to the flow of materials throughout the warehouse. However, what happens when changes occur?

Insufficient storage happens from time to time. After you have cleared away existing debris and stock, how can you prevent this from happening again? Your warehouse layout will have a huge effect on your flow of operations. Detailed measurements, clear mapping of aisle positions, loading bays and more can help to optimise your inventory flow and maximise storage capacity.

Multiple Solutions

Some warehouses take on multitudes of inventory, regardless of whether their storage is suitable or not. However, this can cause many problems, leading to freight being dumped “out of sight”. To put a stop to this, create warehouse zones for organising your storage.

These zones and storage solutions should range from pallet racking and shelving to mezzanines and more. The inventory to be handled should help you to determine the type of necessary storage solution for each zone. Pallet racking is the base model for most warehouses, but it’s worth researching what storage solutions work best for each item group.

For more permanent solutions, consider:

• Using outside storage.
• Improving inventory management by designing better stock control programmes.
• Manage inventory better by logging all locations.
• Incorporate technology to improve accuracy of picking and sorting by using a WMS, RFID scanners, voice recognition software etc.

Taking the time to declutter your warehouse will do wonders for your current space. However, it is important to keep up the pace as clutter can build up quite quickly. At Monarch Shelving, we understand that the requirements for a business that uses archive storage racking differs from one using predominantly long span shelving. We can offer many solutions to the problem of clutter. Get in touch to see how we can help create more space for your business.