A Question of Space

In all successful warehousing operations there comes a time when the the business becomes short of storage space. If this is a result of over stocking the solution to the problem should be found by introducing an effective stock control system, but in many cases the cause of the problem is due to other factors. What should you do if your business has grown to the point where extra storage space is needed?

One option is to build extra storage space. This can cause severe problems for businesses. The capital costs of building a warehouse are considerable, and if you are funding it from the business's resources you may well put a severe strain on cash flow. You may want to take out a loan to finance the building. However, in these days of the credit crunch that may be easier said than done! Of course, there is the rental option. Generally speaking, there is not a shortage of warehousing space that is available to rent, but in taking this option you are incurring an extra overhead that is going to impact on your business, probably for a long time in the future.

Before taking any of the above steps you need to consider the options that are available to make better use of the space you have in your existing warehouse, and there are ways in which you can do this.

One option is to change the layout of your warehouse racking. These days racking systems tend to be very flexible, and you may be amazed at the space that can be saved by changing your existing setup.
Consider all the options. Maybe you could make the aisles between your racking narrower, and install a narrow aisles pallet racking system. You would need to invest in some specialist fork trucks to operate this system, but you would certainly be able to save space. You would even give yourself the option of building the raking higher!

There are a number of other forms of racking that will help you to operate your warehouse more efficiently, and if you talk to a specialist supplier of pallet racking you should be able to pick their brains and get some good advice.

Another option is to install a mezzanine floor into your warehouse. If you have sufficient height available to do this it can increase the amount of space you have available very considerably. In fact you may find that by installing a mezzanine floor you can carry out a radical review of the way in which you use space. For instance, maybe your offices can be re-sited on the mezzanine floor, and you can use the space that the offices formerly occupied for storage!

Mezzanine flooring is very flexible. It can be used in all sorts of businesses in a seemingly endless variety of situations. On top of this, installation time is usually quite short, meaning minimum disruption for your business.

Lastly, there is some extra good news. There are some companies - like Leicester Shelving (UK) in the East Midlands that buy and sell second hand mezzanine floors. If you buy your mezzanine floor from them you should be able to make very substantial savings on your capital costs, as well as benefiting from their first class advice and installation services.

This article has been provided by Leicester Shelving (UK), Leicester, East Midlands