Storage space is one of the most common problems in warehouses. While this problem is sometimes associated with real lack of space, in many cases it is a result of improper organization of the available space. Inefficient storage system can cause an impact on the business productivity and ergo profitability. In order to maintain it at a high level, a certain order should be established.
In today’s competitive world, businesses cannot afford resource wastage due to inefficient or disorganized order in a warehouse. Many business owners tend to blame their employees, but in most of the cases, the productivity decrease is not their fault. Instead of firing employees because you think they are not producing enough, you should try implementing an efficient warehouse shelving system to your warehouse to increase the productivity of your business right away and always make sure you have enough space for goods. Shelving can be used in a number of environments and provide some incredible benefits. Here is how to plan and create an efficient warehouse shelving system to boost the productivity of your business.
To save space, follow the next shelving efficiency rules:
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Do not lay out shelving across the short dimension of your warehouse space. This lead wasted space which represents around 5% of your floor space.
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Do not implement a perimeter aisle with single-deep shelving around the walls. This mistake will take you another 5% of your storage space.
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Do not position an aisle on a wall. You should have access to the shelves on both sides. You need the same width aisle to serve two sides as one side, hence if you have access to only one side, you will be wasting space unnecessarily.
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Do not place shelving in the same area following two different directions for example, part of the shelving going north/south, the rest following east/west. This will cost you another 5% of your available space.
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While creating the perfect warehouse shelving is not always possible, you should keep in mind that by avoiding one of the rules above, you will be compromising part of your available floor space – up to 25% if you break all the four rules.
Different types of warehouse shelving provide different options
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Mobile shelving operates on mobile carriages and eliminates unused aisle space. Adaptable and flexible, this shelving system works within many ceiling restrictions or building support and can be easily reconfigured if changes are needed.
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Vertical lifts systems use vertical carousels or vertical lifts up to 12 meters which can convert unused overhead space into productive storage space. Simply said, these systems allow you to use dead air space as storage space.
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Modular drawers and cabinets offer the same capacity as 150 sections of shelving with the advantage of easy and secure access. By using this shelving system you can achieve up to 75% in floor space saving.
Important tips to consider when drawing your layout
- Manage the obstruction to productive layout
- Allow good clearance for smooth traffic
- Keep all shelving rows going in one direction
- Keep in mind your next storage expansion while designing your system
