Warehouse

Perhaps it’s not one of your priorities, however, what you do regarding warehouse storage has a great deal of say in how much success you’re going to make of your business. In other words, it should be one of your priorities.

One of the primary reasons for this has to do with the costs, because when you don’t store goods properly there’s a higher risk they’d get damaged. This logically also means you don’t take care of organisation as you should and it’s a safety issue itself, so you’d expect to face more expenses than profits in the long run.

Invest in Material Handling Equipment

To make it work, it’s advisable to make a few changes to the warehouse operation, starting from investing in quality material handling equipment such as pallet trucks made from top-notch materials like stainless steel for the structure and polyurethane wheels.

Also known as pallet jacks, walkies, and pumps, they’re available in a variety of configurations, sizes, as well as prices. Simply put, there are different pallet trucks designed for different needs and budgets to make the most of productivity.

Moreover, they make a better investment than traditional forklifts because they’re more affordable, don’t cost much to maintain and are ideal for compact spaces too.

You can choose based on the capacity you intend to carry, whether it’s for heavy or light loads, from a wide range of trucks with up to 2500kg of capacity, or opt for the electric trucks to rid your workers of the heavy manual lifting, preventing strains and injuries, making the workplace safer and more efficient.

When there are fewer chances for accidents, you can be certain there would be fewer compensation claims and sick leaves as a result, so it’s for the benefit of the company as a whole.

When making the decision on pallet trucks, it’s important not to forget to take the space into consideration asking yourself the right questions.

Are the aisles wide enough for the trucks? If they aren’t, then look for a more compact truck design to suit the tight applications. Is the warehouse big and requires long transport of pallets? Ride-on pallet jacks can be of help in this case.

Once you’ve decided and purchased, regular inspection and maintenance of the material handling equipment have to be your basic chores; it’s always better to take care of a repair sooner rather than later because timely fixes can save you a lot of money and cut down the safety risks.

Likewise, it’s essential workers get the needed training to know how to operate the equipment, as well as how to handle the different types of goods with care, carry out inspection and do a bit of equipment maintenance if needed or at least learn how to schedule it.

The Warehouse Layout

Often, even with the necessary pieces of equipment, warehouse operation still won’t be optimal because of the layout. To be able to use it to your advantage, instead of letting it interfere with your efficiency and safety, don’t overlook the importance of optimising the storage.

This can be done simply by sorting the goods into different groups, separating them into those that are frequently moved from the rest of the inventory that isn’t, along with keeping the small ones away from the large ones to avoid damages. Additionally, labeling them would come in handy too.

These small changes can make a difference for your business, helping reduce the time it takes to locate and pick up the goods for shipment. Also, don’t be afraid to use up as much vertical space as you can counting on ingenious solutions such as cantilever and expandable pallet racking.

Furthermore, have the material flow in mind. Make sure there’s enough space for the pallet trucks to pass through, no obstructions in the way, and mark the traffic area from the pedestrian to enhance safety. When workers have less to do with handling inventory, they have more time for other tasks so easy access is what good layout design is about!

When the warehouse is organised you’d be able to keep clutter away too which would simplify another chore you’d have to take care of regularly: cleaning.

Go Green

Of course, getting rid of clutter isn’t only an aspect related to tossing out whatever you don’t need but also adopting better habits, in the example of reusing and recycling of materials whenever possible.

This can be achieved by choosing reusable and recyclable packaging so you’d cut down on the waste and packaging amount altogether, along with the good start by investing in manual and electric pallet trucks instead of opting for gas or oil forklifts, hazardous both for the environment and personnel.

Then again, it’s about making smart choices when it comes to lighting and insulation, giving LED energy-efficient lighting a chance, and keeping the warehouse climate-controlled to be able to reduce the cooling and heating costs.

Sustainability trends aren’t just for the households!