Consider These 5 Factors in Your Warehouse's Design

The design of your warehouse can be a daunting task, especially if this is the first time your business has expanded enough to warrant it. If you use your space well, you'll find an increase in productivity and efficiency; if not, you'll find that problems continue to mount even as your business prospers. As you go about your design process, keep these five factors in mind to serve your company best.

1. Space to Work With

The first factor you'll want to think through is how much space you have available in your warehouse. If you have a racking system already in place, you may need to reconfigure it to fit your inventory better; if not, you'll have to work up your own schematics. The locations of your doors, ceiling height, column spacing, and overall square footage will be crucial to your planning.

2. Product to Store

Every aspect of your inventory will have to be part of your thought process as you prepare your warehouse. From the way your products fit onto their pallets to the height, depth, and overall weight of each unit, you'll have to calculate the space that you have available and arrange your pallet racking carefully to accommodate it.

3. Order to Use Inventory

The order in which you use your stock - whether first-in, first-out or last-in, first-out - will affect the system of your pallet racking setup. You may need to have the ability to pull stock from the innermost shelves, or you may have the option to keep non-date-sensitive products rotating on the outsides while leaving the interior alone.

Some products move much more quickly than others in every business, so you'll want to keep that in mind as you arrange your warehouse. Anything that you use frequently or usually needs a fast turnaround time, you should place somewhere easy to access.

4. Budget to Expend

Your pallet racking system should be a substantial part of your budget as you look to arrange your warehouse, as each space could wind up costing you a fair amount. While you'll find it worthwhile to get the system that fits your needs best, you may have to compromise a little bit of efficiency to fit into your allotted funds.

Consider the pros and cons carefully before making a decision, though. You may be able to find a used system to adapt to your needs, although the cost of repairs and inspections over a long time might be more than you planned to pay. If you get a system that's suited to your space and needs, you'll have fewer problems in the long run.

5. Pallet Racking to Utilize

Once you've weighed the facets of your choice, you'll need to sort through the types of pallet racking systems available to you and choose what fits your space, needs, and budget best. These include:

• Selective pallet racking. This system is commonly used and gives you a lot of access to your products.
• Narrow aisle racking. These are designed for small spaces with high inventory numbers and more time available to retrieve stock.
• Drive-in pallet racking. If you have a lot of space and need multiple storage options, drive-in may work well for your storage and separation process.
• Push back pallet racking. While you have less accessibility, push back systems work well for last-in, first-out storage, and utilize your space well.

Whatever system you choose, you'll need to get your pallet racks from someone trustworthy, with a comprehensive selection to make sure you have what you need. Get in touch with Lone Star Pallet Rack today for all of your warehouse storage needs.