Filling your warehouse is not like filing a living room. If you have large warehouse, it will be important to fill the space with efficiency in mind – not comfort. This is exactly why you want to plan accordingly. If you only have so many square feet, you want to utilize that square footage wisely. If you don’t, your business could actually take a hit. If you are unable to store more products, you may not be able to properly grow. When it comes to warehouse storage, not only is the floor your storage area, you also have to think about the entire space between the floor and the ceiling. All of that space is prime real estate. Here are five efficient space-saving tips for your warehouse.
- Store according to size – not type. If you want to properly fit everything onto your pallets, you want to be sure that you fit your products according to their size and shapes. If you fit everything according to a product number, you may have a number of products that don’t stack over each other, which will decrease the amount of space you have. This is especially important when it comes to your smaller product packages.
- Narrow your alleys – a lot of warehouses find themselves in a bind when the alleys are too wide. Of course, this can make your warehouse appear spacious, but it will actually decrease the amount of space you have to store your products. Ideally, you want to leave enough space open for your pickers and your picking machinery – other than that, you want to close the gaps. The truth of the matter is that you want to only have enough room to safely get through. If the lanes are intended for human pickers, you probably want to make them even narrower.
- Make sure to automate – automation will allow you to shrink your alleys even further. If pickers and forklifts don’t have to go through, you can have robotics go through and do all the picking for you. This is a great option for particularly large businesses that have a lot of picking and a lot of products. It can also help if you are trying to expand your business – it may be worth the investment to automate.
- Raise your pallet stacks – if you have short pallet stacks, you may not be utilizing all the space. Ideally, you want to stack even higher – as high as the ceiling permits. You can often go to Shaw Material Handling Systems, Inc. and purchase new palleting. These new pallets may also keep your products safer in the instance of a collapse.
- Understand the importance of weekly maintenance – if you aren’t properly analyzing and maintaining, you may not be maximizing. This is an important way to look at the operations of your warehouse and how proper management can improve your warehouse. If your warehouse isn’t a finely oiled machine, disorganization could cause issues with space. In the end, you want to work with your warehouse managers to make sure organization is a priority.