Do you really need a much bigger warehouse ?

Do you really need a much bigger warehouse ?There are five questions to ask before  moving into a greater warehouse.

As stocks begin to pile up, orders increase, the number of employees increases, and the urgent to move into larger warehouses may begin to affect even the most experienced warehouse managers.

It’s hard to argue that extra space will definitely help you to do more work, right? This is a good idea to help you get over the stress, but you may consider some things in advance: Do you really need extra space?

Moving can be expensive and ineffective, and no matter how roomy  your new space is, it can make your warehouse come down a lot when you are busy recovering operations. Instead of solving this problem (and helping to avoid running out of rooms  in situations where mobility is not a viable or timely option), ask yourself these five questions and see if you can make better use of the current space than enter a new one.

Is your warehouse having a lot of empty space ?

One of the biggest contributors to warehouse inefficiencies and confusion is misuse of space. This can be done from unused parts of the warehouse to empty slots in the warehouse rack that can be fitted to other items. See if there is anything around your warehouse that can be installed in an empty corner or a locker that no one uses. In extreme cases, you might consider building a mezzanine to add more floor space and create more department of  elbows space.

Is your inventory neat and orderly?

If your warehouse starts to feel a bit claustrophobic, it might be better to try to redeploy some of your current inventory and optimize storage instead of moving to a new warehouse or facility. Is your favorite item placed in an easily accessible place?

Are the items sorted on your rack or shelf, or are they just sorted wherever they wind up based on previously specified systems? See if you can free up some space by rethinking how you currently store items before you decide to switch to a larger warehouse. This can also help your staff find the items they need more easily, reducing clutter and improving efficiency when picking.

Would you create better traffic flow?

A major reason for warehouse movement is to improve traffic flow. While ensuring the safe aisle ways of workers and equipment is essential to prevent accidents and maintain productivity, there are several things that can improve the current warehouse traffic conditions. Measure your current aisle size and see if anything can be scattered (or in some cases compressed to allow more room elsewhere). Use traffic data to view the most common areas in your warehouse and make adjustments as needed. If a common area is too messy for many people or forklifts, consider refurbishing them to free up floor space and remove obstacles caused by accidents such as cables to allow for a smoother traffic flow.

Can you simplify the workflow and process?

Instead of committing to meeting the financial needs of a new warehouse, you may need to consider introducing additional staff to help solve efficiency problems and accomplish more. The more staff you have, the more orders you can fill (and you can do your job more easily), and the more productive your current warehouse is. Minimizing the number of touches per software package and minimizing movements by changing zone-based policies, and see if employees and warehouses can work smarter than harder.

Can you store excess items in a smaller facility?

In many cases, a lot of things require larger warehouses. You can’t return clearance items to suppliers. Haven’t sold seasonal items (and must move quickly when they do this), and other slow-moving SKUs that still need to be placed somewhere. For your bottom line and performance, this will have the effect of spilling out of other small warehouse space outside of the main market and shipping it out as needed.Trust us – it will be much easier for you in the long run.

If you have any other questions about making your warehouse work harder for you, contact us today.