Warehouse Overload: Keys to Maximizing Your Storage Space

Though the typical warehouse filled with nothing but open space seems cavernous, the image quickly dissolves once you begin moving in the area. In a short time, cavernous has gone to cramped, making you question where, exactly, you’re going to fit the next shipment. Luckily, with the right equipment, you’ll be able to maximize the space you’ve been given.

Cutting the Excess

Before moving anything, it’s time to do a full inventory purge. While humans do tend toward storing things they will never use again, you need to look at this realistically. Is it costing you more to store items than you’re making keeping them there for the “just in case” moments? If so, it’s time to dump the extras. This alone will open up more space for the items that are making you money. You may have to take the hit and sell the items at major discounts.

The Right Equipment

Now that there is some extra room, assess the models you’ve used as shelves and the like. Do they truly fit your product? While the Longspan from places like Arpac Storage Systems Corp is perfect for similarly shaped items, they aren’t the best for odd designs, so you may have to scour the storage company’s stock a little harder. The name of the game is organization and part of that is knowing how to fit everything together like a puzzle. Therefore, the better the fit of the shelving, the better your products will piece together.

The Aisles

Surprisingly enough, a lot of space is wasted because of the aisles. Investing in skinnier equipment or making the aisles just big enough for your current machinery to move through are great options. Just remember to do this for the whole of the factory, not just one or two aisles that look too big. With an accurately measured out spreadsheet, you can redesign the floor without having to do anything until you are completely happy with the new layout.

Build Up

Finally, look upward to add to the stock. Because of the restriction placed on certain stock, it may be that you can only stack pallets two high. This, however, doesn’t mean you can’t invest in a counter-weighted structure with four to five levels. Such a storage device gives you the power to clean up a lot of floor space while still keeping the product safe.
Your warehouse doesn’t have to and should never be a mess. It should always act as an organized way to store and find product for your customers. If the space is not enough, think about reorganizing for better utilization before turning to a new space entirely.