In many businesses, acquiring a warehouse is an expensive but necessary business decision; regardless of whether you are buying outright or leasing.
The expense incurred is expected to be offset by income incurred from the goods that pass through the warehouse.
That is easier said than done. Certain steps must be taken before the warehouse can be put to use. Ignoring them will eventually lead to incurring of more expenses.
When you invest in a warehouse space, you need to figure out exactly how you will maximise efficient use of the space. On acquisition, you may get a warehouse with racks in place or an empty one. You may be tempted to think a warehouse with racks is makes a better business deal, but think about these points:
- Is the existing racking system ideal for your particular business?
- Can the existing storage system be expanded if your business increases in volume?
- Is the racking system structurally sound?
These three considerations are the first of three steps to consider when acquiring a storage space.
Getting an empty warehouse space gives you the opportunity to design the best warehousing layout for your particular business. You may want a simple, yet efficient system, but that is not as easy as it sounds.
With economic and market fluctuations, the quantity of inventory you carry can suddenly increase or decrease. This means you need an upwardly expandable racking system for when inventory levels go up. This is also needed when you obtain a large discount from your suppliers and you have to stockpile inventory.
The second planning step is to perform a warehouse assessment and redesign. Your business is unique and you need to plan how to effectively utilize the available space.
Redesigning the storage space involves:
- Correctly measuring the available floor space and roof height.
- Noting where the following potential obstacles are located – columns, walls and doors.
- Understand what your inventory will consist of i.e. does it need special storage conditions? Can a large portion of it be stored together as one load?
- Establish the possible directions of flow of traffic, humans and forklifts.
- Map out spaces for other facilities – offices, loading docks etc.
- Using the information gathered to create an efficient layout of racks, offices and other facilities.
A redesign allows you to draw up a warehouse racking layout that is perfect for your business. The primary function of a warehouse is to store stock in between picking, processing and shipping. These basic structures of uprights and beams help provide order while maximising the use of space.
The third step to maximising warehouse space is to choose the right racking system. Your choice will depend on many factors such as the size of the pallets you will use, the size of the individual loads, the method of moving the stock i.e. via forklifts or rack trucks and even the type of product stored. The common racking systems in use today are:
- Very narrow aisle racking.
- Push back racking.
- Pallet Racking.
- High bay Racking.
- Multi tier racking.
With pallet racking being the most versatile and easily adaptable, it is no wonder it is the most common racking system in use today. Keeping these three factors in mind when you acquire a warehouse, will help you create a functional and cost effective storage space.
At Monarch Shelving, we offer the full range of services regarding warehouse racking systems. From stocking the leading brands, such as Dexion, Link 51, Redirack, Apex; we also buy your used racking systems.
With an easy to use website interface, ordering your racks is quite straight forward.
All our racks; new, used and refurbished have been meticulously checked, vetted and are fit for purpose. Contact Monarch Shelving today and lets help you find the best racking system for your warehouse.
