Do you need to get the most out of your available warehouse storage while maintaining easy access and efficiency.?
In British Columbia, today floor space of any kind, warehouse, or office is expensive. When you waste space for storing things, you are also wasting money. While it may not appear to be that way, consider what costs you would face if you needed to move your business simply because you have run out of room in your warehouse storage.
The key to getting the most out of your available space lies in looking at what you need to store and finding creative ways of storing it correctly. Your solutions will depend on the types of products and the variety of sizes. Looking at the larger picture and working on each section will provide you with the maximum amount of storage space possible. Available solutions can utilise components of your current racking system and allow adaptability as your needs change.
1.- Use drawers and container storage for small parts
If you need to store large numbers of small parts like screws or ball bearings, you would do well with drawer storage that is segmented into bins. This can be incorporated into regular shelving units with bulkier products on the upper shelves. You products will be easier to access and better organised.
2.- Use vertical dividers
Installing dividers for shelving may allow you to stack more like parts on each shelf without items falling over or slowly spreading across the entire shelf. Vertical dividers can also make use of pullout bin storage or cubby holes for keeping small parts organised.
3.- Measure and install additional shelves
There really is no reason to keep all shelves spaced at the same height. You may need one bay of shelving that has 12 inches of height on each shelf. The next bay over could have shelves at 9 inches high. This adjustment can just as easily be implemented across rows. If your products vary in height, your shelves should also vary. A considerable amount of space can be wasted in the areas between shelves. We call that A I R. Nobody wants to pay for storing air.
4.- Add more storage by using the ends of racks
The ends of storage racks can be another source of storage space. By fitting louver panels or slat wall systems to the ends, you can add additional containers, shelves or hooks for storing frequently accessed products. Adding a small cantilever system at the ends of each rack offers another storage possibility. If your average shelf end is 3 feet wide by 8 feet high, you have added over 24 square feet of storage plus the available depth.
5.- Think about mobile shelving
Permanently fixed shelving is very common but it wastes a considerable amount of space. Access is required between each row of shelving and this aisle requires at least 36” for staff to walk if not more. Now think about the option of shelving that slides or rolls on rails. By using rolling shelves that are able to slide against each other, in an accordion fashion, you will be able to double the number of shelves that can be placed in the same floor space. These shelves can be designed to move manually or with mechanical or power assistance.
Lateral sliding shelves offer another solution for adding twice as much storage in the same floor area. Do not just standardize your storage space; customize it. The perfect solution for one business is not the perfect solution for another. An efficient use of your available space not only prevents you from worrying about expansion, it can also reduce waste. When everything is organised and accessible, you will experience less in the way of lost or duplicate parts orders.
If you have questions, contact us, we will be happy to answer your questions