Efficient management of stock levels is a challenge for logistics companies, warehouses and distribution centres as it ultimately depends on the business’s profitability.

Stock accumulation and storage requirements are equally important as having stock avoid a shortage of the product the company works with – the more units, the lower the unit cost – and having the storage space for it enables immediate availability of meeting customer demand.

Any imbalance in the amount of stock stored can end up reducing the company’s competitive edge over other businesses.

Types of Stock

Many times, the stock volumes dictate exactly how you store the product. There is cycle stock that has to meet regular demand over long periods, safety stock that has to meet unexpected demand or demand in exceptional circumstances that have caused problems such as delays.

Seasonal stock for products with sales that increase sharply for certain times such as Christmas stock, recovery stock for products that can be partially totally reused and dead stock for obsolete merchandise unable to be reused and slated for removal from the warehouse are all considerations also.

Add to that, there is the speculative stock which is the expected stock of particular products that have short-term increases.

Solutions

With so many variables in the type of stock that you hold within your premises at any one time or all year round, different types of storage will be required to keep on top of it all.

Pallet racking is a heavy-duty option where you can effortlessly match fast-moving items on lower levels with long-term products stacked higher above and accessible by forklift. These systems help to run more effective operations and reduce the number of forklift operations in aisles that can hold up orders being shipped.

Pallet racking is a durable solution that can reach the ceiling and store the maximum amount of stock without items being left on aisle ends without a place to go.

Commercial shelving is the alternative for short-term items or ones that come in smaller, shelf-able quantities.

For items with a limited sales pattern that rapidly move throughout your building, shelving is ideal in that it can be separated from the bulk of the warehouse operations and take up its own space in a corner or separate room and be picked by hand.

This means that space can be better utilised and stock can be evenly separated to not affect the picking operations. They also make stock takes an extremely easy exercise and greatly reduce stock loss and misplacement.

Contact the team at Monarch Shelving today for more information on warehouse storage equipment.