It is finally Christmas week and things are about to slow down and get back to normal – which is good for your staff, your warehouse and your end of the business year.

But what about what comes next? Does the new year hold any plans for change? If you have been thinking about taking the first month of the year as one where significant changes can happen towards operations, stock control and warehouse layout then you may be already on the ball for the right way of thinking.

How Christmas Worked for You

As this year posed a lot of changes in people’s shopping habits, many warehouses were given much more dependence by businesses even when the lockdown was relaxed and customers could visit in-store again. Many customers had become accustomed to shopping for their products online and didn’t feel comfortable returning to the bustling stores.

As this Christmas has showcased, Coronavirus is far from over and may even set us into another lockdown period in the new year – meaning warehouses may not be seeing that peaceful return anytime soon. How your year has worked with the drastic changes is just an inkling of what may be to come moving forwards, so fast thinking warehouses need to be alert to the requirements ahead.

What went right and what went wrong throughout the year is of vast importance right now, and listening to how your operations have struggled on the floor level shapes the direction you will need to undertake.

Enhancing the Warehouse

It is not always about extending your operations within a warehouse, but more about how you are using them currently. At this point, many businesses had to adapt so quickly to the huge demand for online sales that some areas had to be crammed together or made into a make-do situation.

This could result in stock stored inappropriately or at the end of aisles instead of having a dedicated area on your pallet racking. It also can result in mix-ups with fast-selling stock and slow-moving stock sharing the same spaces, or smaller items stored in the same area as larger ones. It makes for a pretty jumbled up look for your warehouse.

This also leads to worker frustration, affecting their picking times and causing them to have to double back for certain items if an aisle is too cramped or has forklift operation slowing down their process.

New Solutions

It could simply be a case of upgrading your warehouse storage equipment between industrial storage racks that can hold more upwards instead of outwards, and commercial shelving that can store the smaller or less in-demand items in a separate area.

At Monarch Shelving, our team works with warehouses to survey the best possible system of operations and shelving/racking to accentuate it. For the new year, contact our team to evaluate your existing system and how space can be procured for the ever-changing warehousing landscape that is to come.