One of the many jobs of a warehouse manager is to constantly look for ways to improve on storage capacity. There’s a saying that goes ‘if there’s available space, someone will eventually fill it with something.’ This is true everywhere, whether it’s in a warehouse or at home, ‘stuff’ just seems to accumulate in spaces we assumed were free.

In warehousing, it’s common practice to rest on one’s oars, in the slower periods before and after peak, but this is when space optimization is best carried out. 2015’s peak period is roughly 4 weeks away and warehouses are starting to slowly fill up with inventory. It’s time to assess your available space and see how you can squeeze out more from what you currently have.

The default option warehouse manages use is to attempt to expand, but that isn’t always an option. A simple analysis of your warehouse will reveal many instances where space is being under-utilized. Rearranging shelves for better organization is also recommended by many, but should you be using shelves at all? Let’s look at these space saving steps:

The right Storage solution

The main determinants of your choice of storage are the height and width of the available area, the number of tiers you’ll need, the volume of SKUs and the estimated load capacity. Knowing this will help you choose which storage medium is best for you.

Warehouses tend to use miles of racking, but you need to examine your facility and see if racking is the best option for your business. Depending on the SKU size, other storage options include, boxes, pick bins, long span shelving, pallets.

Space saving is achieved by remaining flexible with choice of storage equipment. Longspan and industrial shelving are adaptable, can be mixed and matched to get the ideal configuration, while still having accessible pick locations.

Aisle Width

If you decide to increase available racking, let’s consider the impact that aisle width has on your operation. Aisle width is more often discussed in relation to forklift safety, but it can also have an impact on the efficiency of your business. The increase in product proliferation has led to the more frequent use of an increased pick-face size. To do this efficiently, a narrower aisle configuration is preferred. But how many warehouses can realistically dismantle all their racking and re-assemble every few months? Not a lot.

But before you dismiss this option, here are a few aisle configurations and their space saving possibilities:
• Wide Aisles – These are over 3metres in width and are best used if the business carries large orders with little differentiation.
• Narrow Aisles – These are between 2.5 and 3 metres in width, and can only be used if there is a reach truck available. This extra expense is offset by the 15% increase in storage capacity that narrow aisles typically offer.
• Very Narrow Aisles – Installing these will yield at least another 30% increase in space, but requires the use of specialized lift trucks, the Swing Mast Trucks.
Tempting savings, right? A ll a manager has to do is balance the use of wide aisles with narrower ones. The choice of aisle type can be further narrowed down if the order quantities and product ranges carried, are considered.

Out With the Old

Did you know that changing your doors could increase available space? This is especially true with warehouses that are a few decades old. Many of them were built with overhead doors that had a bulky rail system built into the ceiling or suspended above the doorway. While they provided ample opening for large vehicles, and even provided some level of insulation, they had a major disadvantage.

The sheer bulk of the winding mechanism and the size of the rolled up door simply takes up precious real estate. The rail system required to operate these doors, is both expensive to maintain and can impair the integrity of the ceiling itself.

The solution to this potential hazard is a simple swap of the old doors for new ones. Extra overhead space can be opened up with the installation of modern roller shutters that fold into a compact pile on top of the doorway. By removing the bulky mechanism, there is space created or sprinklers, heating ducts, lighting etc.

It can be as simple as that. We’ve shown you how less can be more, how you can claw back up to 50% more space from your warehouse, and how a simple swap can open up space. No one strategy will end ALL your space problems, but at Monarch, we recommend using a mix of strategies to create your efficient storage space.

We sell a wide variety of storage solutions, everything from small parts storage, hazardous materials cabinets to full-scale mezzanines. Whether its new drive-in racking you need or you want a refurbished workbench, call us today.