In the supply chain industry, workers must face many daily obstacles and challenges, one of the biggest being limited space. A warehouse is considered to have run out of useable space when it hits 80%-85% percent of its occupancy; anything above can start to cause spatial challenges.
Spatial challenges can cause many problems for supply chain businesses since inventory management becomes much harder to complete as movement is much more restricted and, as a result, will take a lot more time to finish.
Many warehouses implement warehouse space utilization tactics to combat this issue to increase capacity without resorting to expansion. If your warehouse is starting to run out of space for any reason, there are fortunately many ways to improve space utilization – continue reading to find out more.
Implement Vertical Storage Systems
One of the most straightforward yet often overlooked ways of improving space utilization in your warehouse is by making the most of your vertical space by investing in vertical storage systems. Depending on the age of the building, you may have to enlist the services of a structural engineer or a PE to confirm whether a vertical storage system is feasible or not. There are many ways that businesses can implement vertical storage systems that can be tailored to your business’s needs.
Some of the most popular vertical storage systems for space utilization types are pallet racks, carton flow racks, cantilever racks, and mezzanines – which can be sourced through providers like Vertical Storage USA. For more inspiration about their innovative vertical storage solutions, visit their website or give them a call for a free estimate today and see how their solutions could improve space utilization in your warehouse.
Use Underutilized Space
In every warehouse, there is always space that you’ve never thought about using before. When you next have a moment of free time, cast an eye around the place and start identifying any underutilized space that could be better used.
Whether you spot some space above the shipping or receiving doors where a pallet rack could be implemented or an area where staging could be placed for inbound or outbound products that haven’t been processed yet, there will be better options available.
On the other hand, you could identify gaps where shelving could be placed, which is an easy way to create storage solutions for slow-moving warehouse items that don’t need to be replenished as quickly as others.
Store Seasonal Products In Trailers
A more prevalent method of space utilization used by retail or wholesale companies is temporary storage in the form of trailers. Suppose your warehouse has seasonal products during the off-season. In that case, you could consider storing them in trailers so that your warehouse is freed up for best-selling products instead of cluttered with slow-moving or seasonal stocks.
Investing in trailers or renting them on a short-hold lease is sometimes a necessary form of temporary storage. It prevents supply chain businesses from having to fund an expansion and makes it a prevalent space utilization method for companies with much seasonal stock.
