Is your poor use of space causing your business to lose productivity? Often, companies that hit 85% space utilization find that their productivity begins to plummet due to a lack of well-planned space. Reduced space usage can be caused by a variety of factors, but often its the result of poor planning in the initial stages of use. If your setup and layout were developed when you were using 50% of your space, it’s often the case that at as you grow your original plan will not be the most efficient. Fortunately, there are several ways to improve space usage.
Perform A Warehouse Audit
One of the first steps to increase the storage space in your facility is to perform a full audit of your space. It’s likely that you have a lot of areas where your using space for items that do not need it or that you are using methods that no longer work for you. To begin, have your team do a walkthrough of the facility looking. You’ll want to look for instances where space is used poorly, and where storage options could be replaced. Having multiple people, and even a third party participate is a great way to get a variety of opinions and different perspectives.
Consider Your Aisles
One of the biggest threats to space is your aisles. When you began using your warehouse space, it’s likely that you made your aisles much wider than needed as you thought you had so much space to work with. Additionally, you may have caused your aisles wide to make the space feel more full, while this may have helped you feel that you weren’t paying for space you didn’t use early on if this wasn’t adjusted you might find that now your wide aisles are causing you trouble. When planning aisle space, they should only be as wide as needed for the tools and equipment you will use in them. Once you know the width required for effective equipment use, you can adjust your aisles accordingly. This will free up more space than you might think and ensure that all space is used as well as possible.
Consider Your Shelving
Next, take a hard look at the type of shelving your using and how effective it is. More effective shelving with a higher height and weight rating can be a significant investment, but if you’re at the end of your space usage, it may help save you from needing to rent storage or a larger warehouse space. There are many different types of storage systems on the market, and depending on your unique needs and usage, you may find that there is a more effective method that you are not using.
For Exceptional Warehouse Storage Solutions, Contact S.W. Betz!
The S.W. Betz Company, Inc. has been providing businesses in Maryland and beyond with all of their essential Weighing, Material Handling, Dock, and Warehouse equipment since 1933. We also offer warehouse layout and design logistics solutions from experienced, knowledgeable experts.
We carry a variety of top warehouse equipment brands to help with your design logistics, such as Wesco, Magliner, Cogan, Quantum Storage Systems, and more.
If you would like to learn more about pallet racking or warehouse design, or you have further questions, please contact S.W. Betz by calling 410-574-1414 or 800-332-0322 today! You can count on the S.W. Betz Company to work with you and provide you with our extensive knowledge of the industry.
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