Six ways to optimise your warehouse space
Most warehouses reach a point where they’re full to bursting, and it becomes a juggling act just to be able to accept new deliveries. Here are some ways that you can optimise the existing space in your warehouse.
Maximise your vertical space
Fire safety regulations dictate a specific clearance between your sprinkler system and the highest point of storage, so you can utilise this vertical space to gain additional storage. Of course, the regulations regarding sprinkler systems are only mandatory for a warehouse that is more than 20,000 square feet, despite guidance from the Fire Industry Association suggesting that the threshold be lowered to 2,000 square feet.
Discontinue products
You will often find that products that haven’t sold for a considerable amount of time block up space in your warehouse. It’s worth periodically running a report to see the last time an item was picked. If it’s been more than six months to a year or it’s a single figure, you might want to consider discontinuing those lines and freeing up the space for more current, popular or new lines.
Cut down the width of your aisles
A good way to get additional storage space is to cut down the width of your aisles. Depending on the type of forklift trucks you have, you may be able to cut down your aisle widths by as much as several feet. If extra storage space is a real priority to be able to drive the business forward, you might even consider replacing lifting equipment just for this purpose.
Double up your pallet storage
As long as it’s well-managed, opting for racking that is double deep can significantly increase your storage space. However, you will have to ensure that stock rotation protocols are in place so that stock doesn’t go out of date. If you’re looking for industrial shelving Ireland based company https://www.rackzone.ie/shelving/industrial-residential-shelving can help.
Make use of the loading bay
There is often loads of unused space on a loading bay, and it is surprising how much additional storage even a single row of pallets can create.
Change your forklift aisle for a tunnel
If your rows of pallet racking are punctuated with an aisle for fork truck access, consider making this a tunnel instead to get additional overhead storage.