Imagine this: It’s the first day back at the warehouse and there are packages everywhere. There’s shrink-wrapping trailing on the floor and the staff are doing nothing. It’s not exactly a welcoming scene after you return from your holiday. In many cases, this mess is caused by a lack of space. The first initial thought would be to move to a bigger facility, but you may want to pause before you take such drastic measures.
How to get more from your Warehouse on a Budget
You may think that the lack of space is caused by the size of your warehouse, but it could really just come down to poor optimisation. Many warehouses are “built” on the fly as the business grows. As a result, the company quickly finds itself working in a crammed and clutter environment. So, you may then think “what about more racking or a mezzanine?” As much as we love providing our clients with these solutions, this isn’t something to decide on a whim.
Before you make the decision to invest in more racking or a mezzanine, think about the space you already have. You need to assess how your warehouse is currently organised to determine if there is room for improvement. This week, we shall discuss the most common areas of optimisation that can save you money in the long run
Employee Training
In many cases, the employees could be the reason why the warehouse is in its current state. While the permanent staff get trained and will take responsibility for their actions, many warehouses use temporary staff. At most, they get an induction before they are sent to the shop floor.
Taking the time to give them the necessary training is seen as a waste of time by supervisors who are eager to meet targets. However, that right there is the problem. With poorly trained staff, the quality of the work will drop, there will be more safety issues and the supervisors will become more stressed as they lose control.
The Right Tools
Give your employee the necessary tools to get the job done, they won’t have much reason to wander round the warehouse chatting. An organised warehouse has all the necessary tools stored in one central location.
Over time, some may be lost or broken. However, to remain efficient and eliminate downtime, you should always have spares available. Having replacements on hand reduces the risk of potential counting errors or injury from ‘lack of PPE’.
Equipment Maintenance
Maintenance is an issue for both productivity and safety. Poorly maintained equipment will break on a frequent basis, leading to downtime that most businesses simply cannot afford. These tools are often left abandoned where they could become trip and fire hazards.
If your employees are trained properly and know to report damaged and broken equipment, you would be faced with far less clutter. One example is racking damage. Over time, all racking gets bumped. However, most people don’t bother reporting the incident, leaving it to go unnoticed. That is, of course, until the day the entire structure comes crashing down.
Housekeeping
Poor practices in housekeeping can lead to debris accumulating in corners of the warehouse. You may not be able to keep the place absolutely spotless at all times, but the basics must be done on a daily basis. Make sure that your employees are trained to pick up their stripped shrink-wrap after themselves and dedicated sweeping team making the rounds at least once a day. This can keep the clutter to an absolute minimum. Less clutter means more space for storage!
Low Cost Storage
If the business really does require any extra storage space, then it is wise to search for the most cost-effective option. At Monarch Shelving Ltd, we offer a wide selection of second-hand pallet racking, shelving and other storage solutions to ensure that you can keep your warehouse running efficiently at a low cost. To find out more, get in touch.
