Warehouse storage can be a delicate balance. Businesses don’t want to pay for more space than they need, but they also don’t want to grow out of their warehouse too quickly, meaning they need to move, which can also be costly and time consuming.
Figuring out whether it’s time to move to a bigger warehouse can be a tough decision. Not only does it cost money, it also takes a lot of time and organisation. And finding a new premises can be difficult; will it be big enough, or should a business go even bigger?
Let’s look at some of the reasons why a business grows out of its warehouse then go through some solutions on what can be done with existing warehouse space to possibly prevent having to move so soon.
How A Warehouse May Become Unsuitable For Purpose
The most obvious reason why a warehouse may become at capacity is simply because of a business grows. This is a natural state of a business and, if a business has grown so much that it needs a new warehouse, it’s almost a good problem to have. However, warehouse become less efficient for other reasons as well.
One main way a warehouse becomes less efficient or fills up is because of changes to how a business operates as well as product popularity. For example, a product that had a lot of rotation in the past may not be moving as much anymore, but the warehouse may still be designed and laid out with old product rotations in mind.
Similarly, seasonality or gradual changes in sales cycles may also affect how a warehouse operates. Again, if something has changed over time, the warehouse may not be set up or equipped to handle that change. Simply rearranging the warehouse may solve the problem!
Because of all of this, moving warehouses should be the last resort. We’ve already mentioned that it’s expensive and inconvenient. So, of course, everything should be considered to figure out how to stay at the existing property.
Change The Warehouse Layout
One of the biggest things to consider before moving warehouses is the layout of your existing warehouses. If your warehouse is one that feels full because of changes to business operations, the answer isn’t to move warehouses. The answer is to adapt the existing warehouse to the new business needs.
This may mean moving and re-installing pallet racking, it may mean changing where picking and packing happens, considering different shelving, or it may mean looking at different materials handling equipment. The main takeaway here is that a business needs to make the best use of its existing space, and finding out whether or not the existing space has been used as well as possible is often a lot easier than moving to a new space.
Maybe you’ll find out that the existing space is being used the best it can. That’s fine, but at least you’ve checked.
Upgrading Racking And Conveyors
Related to warehouse layout is how goods are being stored and transported throughout the warehouse.
Upgrading or changing the type of pallet racking being used can greatly improve the storage capacity of a warehouse. If a business’ operations have changed or they need to store more of a certain SKU, changing to a denser storage solution like push-back pallet racking may be more suitable. Again, this is just about making sure the existing space is used as well as it can be.
Similar to pallet racking, it’s also worth evaluating whether your conveyor system is laid out appropriately, or evaluate whether one is needed if you don’t have one already. Conveyors can quickly and safely move both pallets and cartons throughout a warehouse easily. If part of the space problem is simply being able to move goods from one end of a warehouse to another, a conveyor can often solve this problem. And installing a conveyor is easier than moving.
Is Mezzanine Storage A Good Solution?
Another thing to consider before moving warehouses is vertical storage through a mezzanine floor. If your warehouse isn’t using vertical space as well as it could be, a mezzanine floor could open up that space, potentially doubling a your storage potential.
A mezzanine floor can be used for shelving and built above other warehouse areas that don’t need as much ceiling clearance. Alternatively, a mezzanine level can also be supported by pallet racking, meaning shelving or another business operation can be moved to operate above pallet storage if needed.
There’s a lot that be done with a mezzanine level that can help create more space in a warehouse.
Talk To Us About A Potential Solution
If you need advice on whether to move warehouses or find a another solution, we’re happy to help. Get in touch with us to talk about your options.
