A warehouse runs out of space because of seasonal peaks, rapid growth, large discount buying, slow sales period, facility consolidation, or because of manufacturing shutdowns.
A warehouse owner experiences challenges in optimizing and managing inventory in less space. Due to this, they shift their storage into a new warehouse space, and it costs you more.
Well, here in this article, we will be discussing some reasons for warehouse space problems and how you can solve those issues.
Ways To Increase Warehouse Space
You might be wondering how to solve warehouse space problems on your own? Well, we have some tips for you. Check it out!
1. Choose the Suitable Shelving System
To create or free up more storage space, you have to choose the right type of shelving system for your warehouse. There are many types of shelving systems for warehouses. We have mentioned some of them below.
A. Carton Flow Racks
This rack is best for first-in, first-out (FIFO) inventory processes. It has slanted panels that push old inventory so you can sell old products first.
B. Cantilever Racks
A cantilever racking system is best for long inventory such as; steel trusses, piping, or lumber. The racks consist of protruding arms at the place where inventory can be placed.
C. Pallet Racks
Pallet racks are the best choice for warehouses. They are strong, have high loading capacity, and have a long life.
2. Analyzing space in a warehouse
Check out the space in your storage facility and identify non-usable shelves or racks in the warehouse. Removing unwanted racks will help you to free up some space. Moreover, you may find unused space in departments where shipping and packing and tasks are performed.
3. Use vertical space
Check if you are using all vertical space of shelving systems in your warehouse. You can take advantage of heightened racks in the storage facility. Identify how many feet of vertical space is unused? Also, make sure to know whether your design impacts your fire code and sprinkler layout or not.
4. Warehouse space planning
It includes planning about materials flow, ways to make free space, smooth working in a facility, and increasing efficiency. Furthermore, warehouse space planning is termed as a strategically planned storage layout made by designers or other professionals. It helps to create more space in a warehouse or a storage facility.
5. Add mezzanine floor
The best way to maximize the warehouse area is by adding a mezzanine above the floor level. Implementing this will double the floor space of a storage. Also, you will be able to distribute the product’s load. The mezzanine floor has base plates or columns which support the weight of the floor.
6. Changing storage medium
One more way to expand space is to change the storage medium to high-density equipment. You can move from a single-deep racking system to a double-deep racking system. These systems are best for adding more space to your warehouse.
7. Decrease racking area’s aisle width
You can save 15% to 20% of the area by reducing aisle width. If the aisle is from 10 feet to 12 feet wide, it can be decreased to anywhere from 5 feet to 8 feet. It will help you to save a good area. When you consider it, lift equipment could be evaluated. Check whether the equipment is capable of working or following in the narrow aisles.
8. Reassess depth of a warehouse
Increasing the height of a storage system helps evaluate the depth of the pallet racking system. Increasing the depth of a storage system will significantly boost your storage density and add stability to heightened structures.
9. Optimizing inventory
You might have seen many companies never stop the overstocking of items in their warehouse without customer demand. However, it covers a lot of space because the more you do overstock, the more space you will need. Many times products start overlapping, which reduces the efficiency of your warehouse.
10. Right size containers
Consistency is very important for higher productivity in a warehouse. On the other side, adjusting the product as per their sizes on inventory will help you free up the space in the warehouse.
You need to use flexible storage solutions and different shaped containers for the right sizing. Therefore, the products will not consume an excessive amount of space in your storage.Usually, bulky or odd-shaped products consume more space on a rack. So try to fit those products in a container.
Some Common Warehouse Space Problems
Mostly there are three kinds of space problems that occur in a warehouse.
- It is a result of putting the wrong merchandise.
- Using the existing warehouse space in an inappropriate manner.
- Too much inventory in the warehouse
If there is any available area, then something will fill it eventually. This saying is perfect for warehouses. Even at the slow working period, the storage gets full.
Now let’s have a look over some major reasons for warehouse space issues.
1. Too Much of the Right Product
Well, the warehouse full of the right products seems great in terms of order fulfillment and client service goals. Also, the sales staff thinks a warehouse full of products is a great sign for making your customers happy and 100% satisfied. However, too much product in the warehouse blocks the visibility of workers.
The visibility issues might create safety hazards, decreased labor productivity, multiple handlings of items, and lack of ease in locating inventory. If the products don’t move quickly, it means space problems will exist.
2. Poor space utilization
Generally, poor utilization issues occur when service requirements increase, growth increases, and storage requirements change. Poor utilization of space is the most common occurrence, which promotes a running out of warehouse space.
Do you know that traditionally, warehouses are equipped and built for handling limited unit loads, projected volumes, and a number of items? However, warehouse owners expect the storage to adjust as per the demand of clients.
The customization in traditional warehouses needs floor space which causes a shortage of space issues. Some of the other poor space utilization includes;
- Many items in one bin
- Aisles more than 9 feet
- Utilizing low vertical space
These kinds of issues need to be addressed with workstation design changes and physical layout.
3. Wrong products in warehouse
You might have seen that sometimes a warehouse is full of unwanted, expired, or wrong products that cause storage problems. It causes the space shortage issue in a warehouse. So, pull out the wrong products from storage and free up some area.
Conclusion
If you don’t want to run out of space, warehouse space planning is crucial. A warehouse owner can initiate to free up space by planning to add equipment and other things to the empty place.
We hope this guide is helpful for you to solve the space issues in a warehouse. If so, share your reviews with us.