Warehouses are a useful way to store large volumes of goods that you don’t need immediate access to. Additionally, they keep merchandise free from theft and damage which minimizes profit loss.
However, stocking your warehouse effectively isn’t an easy task. If you cannot optimize the available space, you will be left with an inefficient arrangement, which can increase the risk of accidents and make it difficult to add more items.
To avoid incurring losses to your business you must create more warehouse space and optimize what is available. Here are a few smart tips that can help you create more warehouse space.
Tips on How to Create More Warehouse Storage Space
Customize Your Warehouse Storage Space
Shelves that aren’t customized to your products waste space. Products don’t fit neatly into the shelving, resulting in fewer products per shelf. By customizing your shelves to store your products with the appropriate dimensions, you eliminate this waste.
Custom shelving can also improve productivity as employees aren’t struggling to fit products into a one-size-fits-all shelving system. Instead, it becomes instantly clear what products fit where. As well, custom shelving makes it easier to keep track of inventory. When there’s space on your shelving, it means a product has been sold instead of a gap from inefficient storage.
Take Advantage of Your Warehouse’s Vertical Space To Create More Warehouse Space
By increasing the square footage of your warehouse, you increase your profits and the ease of operations. However, you can’t create space from nothing. If you can’t reduce the width of your aisles, you can create more warehouse space by making use of vertical space.
Depending on the height of your warehouse’s ceiling and your current shelving, you can convert the empty vertical space between them into storage. You can achieve this by using rack-supported work surfaces to create fully-decked raised work platforms or by investing in taller shelving. It’s important to mind building and safety codes when taking advantage of vertical space. Safety features like sprinklers should be taken into account.
Try a Layout Change for More Space
If you’re having trouble finding space even with custom shelving and vertical storage, you may need to consider rearranging the warehouse. Depending on your warehouse’s layout, you can create more space by strategically placing shelves in areas that best fit their dimensions. For example, products that don’t require as much vertical space to store don’t need to have as much ceiling clearance.
Likewise, consider what products can be stored together and utilize a single shelf. It can be tempting to arrange products based on categories as a method of organization; but this can result in an inefficient warehouse. To create more warehouse space, products of similar size should be stored together.
Create More Warehouse Space With Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems
Now, when it comes to enhancing efficiency and profitability in the warehouse, the automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS or AS/RS) are worthwhile investments. Most facility owners prefer them because they’re designed with mechanisms like conveyors and lifters that help to create more warehouse space.
By utilizing automated storage and retrieval systems, you can minimize aisle width to create more warehouse space and easily access vertical storage. These systems have the added benefit of increasing profitability and efficiency with minimal labor requirements.
The Bottom Line of Creating More Warehouse Space
Extra space in a warehouse is like an investment. When you create more warehouse space, you avoid incurring additional costs and increase your storehouse’s profitability. At McMurray Stern, our goal is to match your warehouse needs and create more warehouse space with the right solution.
