Along with increasing your appealability as a supplier and employer, an organized warehouse environment brings many benefits. For starters, there are significant cost savings. By having more warehouse space to work with, you can increase your inventory capacity significantly. This results in fewer orders and transactions, allowing you to take advantage of things like bulk discounts.
Furthermore, by being able to store an inventory at optimal capacity, you’ll reduce the incidence of missed sales. With more storage capacity to hand and more inventory in stock, you’ll always be able to fulfill orders on time. This reduces the amount of backorders you’re left dealing with, while client satisfaction rates remain high.
An organized workplace is also a more productive one. Overhauling warehouse organization makes stock more accessible, allowing your employees to operate more efficiently. This can generate additional cost-saving benefits. With staff able to fulfill more orders in the same period of time, your labor costs can be slashed considerably.
While optimizing your warehouse space can increase storage potential, it’s not the only reason to consider optimizing your premises. While it’s true that many companies choose to rethink warehouse organization to increase storage capacity, a more optimal layout also allows you to make serious alterations to your existing floor plans. By being able to do things like extend aisle widths, you can introduce new pieces of machinery to increase workplace productivity.
To determine the kind of changes you can make to your warehouse layout and capacity, you’ll first need to consider the amount of overall space. As well as floorspace, remember to factor in the height of your premises, so you can take advantage of things like vertical racking systems to optimize storage potential.
Looking to enjoy maximum storage capacity? Below are just a few warehouse organization ideas you can implement today.
The containers you use can have a big impact on the organization of your space, with certain containers being better than others. Options like flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs) are a perfect choice if you’re keen to stay organized. As well as being suitable for a variety of industries, these hard-wearing containers are built with heavy loads in mind. When filled, they can be stacked, allowing you to make optimal use of vertical dimensions. What’s more, FIBCs come with features such as lifting loops, making them compatible with a wide variety of warehouse machinery and equipment.
A warehouse management system (WMS) is a key tool in increasing warehouse storage capacity. With a WMS, you’ll have real-time information about your current inventory, as well as the amount of storage space you presently have available. With these insights, you can quickly identify inventory you don’t need any longer, diverting or discarding it so you can free up additional warehouse space.
An easy way to optimize storage capacity in your warehouse is to utilize vertical storage systems. With these, you’re able to store far larger quantities, without having to expand your physical footprint. An obvious choice for warehouses with higher ceilings, stacking bins, and tall racking systems are just some of the ways you can implement vertical storage solutions. Mezzanine floors can also be installed to maximize storage space. Additionally, look for underutilized space, such as that above loading docks, to expand your storage capacity.
Another way to make optimal use of warehouse capacity is to ensure you’re using the right type of shelving. Different types of shelves are available for different racking systems, but all offer the chance to make use of vertical space and increase your overall storage capacity. Racking options include single and deep selective racking systems, pallet flow-through racking systems, and flow rail systems.
Struggling with a small warehouse space? When capacity isn’t on your side, consider investing in space-saving equipment to increase storage potential. Mobile racking systems are particularly useful for space-starved areas, while narrow-aisle forklifts allow you to lift and transport inventory, even in the smallest of warehouses.
Good housekeeping can go a long way in keeping your warehouse organized and capacity at optimal levels. Routine cleaning will ensure warehouse interiors are kept free of discarded packaging materials and other clutter, freeing up space for storage. It’s also worth conducting regular inventory audits. By doing so, you’ll be able to identify and remove any redundant items, allowing you to clear space for more important stock.
Another practical way of increasing storage capacity is to switch your current packaging supplies to more space-saving alternatives. Some materials provide more protection than others, meaning you can safeguard the same amount of stock, while still dramatically reducing packaging waste.
There are many steps you can take to optimize an existing warehouse space and upgrade your storage capacity. A good warehouse inventory management system can help you ensure you’re never storing an unnecessary surplus, while regular housekeeping and audits can help clutter to a minimum and free up more space. Struggling with a small floor plan? Vertical racking systems are an innovative alternative to conventional shelving.
You can also think about rearranging your current layout to accommodate equipment and machinery that can help lower your labor costs and speed up productivity. Finally, rethink the containers that you’re using. Bulk bags are an obvious choice if you’re looking for space-saving gains, with solutions like FIBCs scoring well for stackability, allowing you to take advantage of untapped vertical space.
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