Warehouse space is a costly decision. Running out of space can restrict the growth of your business yet moving premises, with high inflation rates, can become expensive. Combine this with a slowdown in new warehouse construction reducing availability of suitable units and a move suddenly becomes a challenging prospect.
Fortunately, moving does not always have to be the solution. Sometimes the answer can be found within your existing warehouse by investing in your racking. Even better, this doesn’t always necessitate the expense of starting from scratch. In most cases it should be possible to give your existing racking a boost with some cost-effective adaptations. For example, you could adjust your pallet racking to Very Narrow Aisle racking which increases the number of aisles within the same building footprint. Or space-saving features such as pushback or pallet live racking which increases the number of pallets stored within a compact configuration.
As easy as this sounds, be aware that upgrading your racking is not simply a case of adding in additional bays. At best this approach will waste valuable opportunities, at worst it could render the whole structure unsafe.
You need to work with an experienced supplier who will come out to your warehouse and assess your current space and racking specification. Their evaluation should consider your processes, how stock travels through the warehouse and the best way to increase pick-time efficiency. They must also make every change with an eye on increasing safety standards throughout. With this information, your supplier can then recommend a suitable re-design approach that will add the most value to your business.
Ready to boost your racking? Before proceeding, bear one caveat in mind. The process of dovetailing in additional racking or redesigning the layout is a skilled job that requires a significant level of technical knowledge and expertise. One of the big problems in the storage equipment arena is that there are very few barriers to entry. Knowing which pallet-racking suppliers are reputable can be difficult to navigate.
Always look for a supplier who can prove their credentials, such as our SEMA Distributor Companies. The quality of their work is not only demonstrated through previous examples of their work. They can also prove their credentials and show, through independent assessments, that their work is to the highest quality and safety standards.
Matt Grierson
President, SEMA
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