In our ever more modern world filled with e-commerce, lifestyle spending and expanding trade and business, life in the warehouse has never been busier. So with warehouse availability is actually at record lows, warehouse managers are facing tougher challenges than ever before – and the biggest one is the need to perfectly optimise every single square millimetre of usable and rapidly re-usable space so that everything can be meticulously squeezed in before timely distribution and delivery drives home the profits.
Today, the most successful warehouse managers must think in 3D, expanding their thinking beyond the floor plan and making the most of every way in which depth and height can increase those ever-limited capacity limits. When was the last time you thought about updating your warehouse’s racking infrastructure and systems, including the obvious benefits of getting that optimisation spot on?
- The money
In business, you spend a lot of time thinking about products, people and infrastructure … but we all know it’s really about the money. All too often, an entity will maximise the efficiency and capacity under their existing regime and simply buy or rent extra space – but a simple re-think of the racking infrastructure, equipment and systems could actually lower your overall costs even after factoring in the upfront expenditure of a modern refit.
- The efficiency
Think beyond the benefits of an upgraded racking system in terms of maximised space alone, and consider how your warehouse’s overall efficiency could also be transformed. Simply by freeing up valuable warehouse floor space, your workers will be more productive as they move around and mobile machinery can be fully exploited through the elimination of obstacles.
And the potential efficiency gains go even further than that, as optimised racking means optimal storage from an inventory point of view, making stock easier to find, track and be shuffled about. Simple racking upgrades can double, triple and quadruple storage capacities, and the benefits can be exponential if you consider that freed-up floor space can mean room for all-new storage systems that previously you had no room for.
- The safety
Actually, corporate and employee safety should probably be at #1 in any list, because it’s impossible to quantify the profits, gains and moral good achieved by keeping your valuable people in top shape. More efficient racking, as a key part of your overall storage system, means a cleaner, tidier, less cluttered and hectic workplace, which translates directly to fewer potential injuries and liability exposures. Indeed, the simple message delivered to staff of a highly modern, ultra-efficient storage system has a knock-on effect as your people will lean into those more professional aspects of your business and work harder to maintain the order.
Are you ready to re-think your warehouse racking? Some may look alike, but every single warehouse and organisation is uniquely different – even if the goal of optimising space and enhancing warehouse operations is usually the same. To get your warehouse’s racking just right, you’ll need to consider your budget, floor plan, worker and forklift accessibility, required racking features and versatility, and the existing and proposed system of inventory management. Need some help? Our highly experienced industry guides will be all too happy to assist.
