Whether you’re operating a warehousing company, or an owner of a business that has its warehouse, one of the biggest issues you’ll face is having the lack of space to keep your stocks and goods. If you see your warehouse filling up, your go-to response might be to ship the goods in advance or to acquire a new warehouse.
Weighing Your Options
The first option might be possible, but it depends on the availability of transportation vehicles as well as the shipping or logistics schedule of the goods — particularly if shipping early is a viable option. Whereas the latter choice of acquiring a new warehouse to accommodate your stocks could be expensive and risky — it’s possible that you might be overstocked now, but after a few deliveries, your new warehouse is empty and you’ve got space in your old/current warehouse.
Luckily, there’s a third and safer option which is to maximize your storage space by adding some improvements to your warehouse as well as making some changes in your inventory system.
Optimize Your Inventory, Production and Logistics
This is applicable if your business or company owns the warehouse you’re using to store your products, raw materials, and other equipment. As such, you’ll need to review your current inventory and why your warehouse is full. Perhaps it’s due to a large order of products that haven’t been out or sold out yet, or you’re stocking up on equipment and raw materials in excess. If you’re stocking up on way too many finished products that haven’t been sold, you may want to revisit your production quota as you’re probably producing more than you can sell. If your products have been sold but haven’t been shipped out, then you’d have to take a look at your logistics capacity and scheduling. For warehouses filled with excess raw materials, you’ll need to optimize when and how much raw materials you order for your operations as excess inventory doesn’t only take up space, but creates clutter and are a safety hazard.
Utilize Your Vertical Space
Warehouses are built with tall ceilings, so make use of it. Improve and optimize your warehouse’s capacity by investing in industrial shelving that can handle substantial weight. Or you can use stackable shelf bins that provide additional vertical storage space at a cheaper cost. Or you can invest in mezzanine floor systems that add a permanent upper “floors” or levels to your warehouse and add both working and storage place, as well as making traversal easier for your workers.
Barcode Labeling Systems
Barcode labeling systems make it easier for you to take inventory and find the stocks and goods that you need to ship out. Sometimes, warehouses become filled because warehouse workers are unable to find and ship out the goods due to too much clutter or poor organization and labeling of inventory.
Conclusion
Having a lack of storage space in one’s warehouse can be a huge headache, but with these simple strategies and tips, it doesn’t have to be. Optimizing and improving your warehouse is a cost-effective and efficient way of addressing the issue and having more storage space for your stocks and goods.
