How to Save Space in Your Warehouse

With costs rising for a whole manner of different things, the last thing a warehouse owner will want to do is go through the expense of moving premises, especially if they need a larger commercial space to house all of their inventory, equipment, machinery and employees. The very nature of upsizing when it comes to moving properties will incur increased costs indefinitely, much like taking out a mortgage on a larger house in a domestic setting.

If it’s not within your budget to consider warehouse relocation, then there are several things you can do to try and save as much space as possible in your existing premises. From installing mezzanine flooring to adding VNA forklifts and multi-directional forklifts to your material handling fleet, here’s how you save space in your warehouse, without moving to a larger property:

Maximise your storage solutions

When it comes to storage in the warehouse, there are many different options available to you. One of the most popular storage solutions that most warehouse owners opt for is warehouse racking. This is because warehouse racking, or warehouse shelving as it’s also known as, comes in a variety of different heights, widths and depths.

This means that they often provide a bespoke warehouse storage solution to customers who own warehouses of varying shapes and sizes. Whether you have a small warehouse or a vast distribution centre, warehouse racking is a storage solution that meets the needs of everyone concerned.

The great thing about it is that it doesn’t matter how small your warehouse is. Warehouse racking can be placed anywhere, provided it can be secured, and it can be as close together or as far apart from the next set of shelving as you need it to be. In addition, warehouse racking comes in a variety of heights.

This means that you’ll be better equipped to use the entirety of your warehouse space, from the floor right up to the ceiling. This ensures that there’s no dead space in the rafters, therefore freeing up more space elsewhere in your warehouse.

Consider installing mezzanine flooring

Mezzanine flooring is something that might sound like a strange suggestion when it comes to space-saving in the warehouse, but you’d be surprised about the amount of space it can actually save you. As well as saving space, it will also provide you with additional storage solutions. Mezzanine flooring can be made up of several platforms, one above the other.

The difference between warehouse racking and mezzanine flooring is that mezzanine flooring often has a much larger square footage of space. The platforms available, despite being available in different sizes, will often accommodate a separate office space, but it also has an empty void underneath.

This provides you with enough space to store items, whether it be inventory, equipment, tools or both. Mezzanine flooring also provides a perfect setting upon which employees can enjoy their breaks, especially if a separate, private room is constructed with partition walls. Again, mezzanine flooring can be constructed with numerous platforms, so it can be as short or as tall as you need it to be.

However, you need to bear in mind that the taller the mezzanine flooring is, the less likely it is that you’ll be able to utilise the top level as an office or break out space. This is for health and safety reasons. If you’re unsure about how you can utilise mezzanine flooring to its full potential, then talk it through with your material handling experts, like the specialists we have here at Multy Lift.

Reorganise your warehouse based on product type & popularity

It might sound like a small change, but by opting to relocate your most popular items will save you time and space. The more of it you sell, the more space will become available. It’s up to you about whether or not you choose to restock it all. If it’s popular, then chances are that you’ll want to keep replenishing your inventory, so how do you acquire more space in that sense?

What you should look to do next is to group items together based on nature and product type. Place all of your toiletries together, maybe on one shelf or dedicate an entire bit of warehouse racking to toiletries. Do this for everything in your inventory. If you move things around and group things together, it can help to streamline the space you have.

Also, if you re-organise your stock, you’re likely to find things that need to be thrown away because they’ve expired or become damaged. You may also wish to reassess the stock you’re selling. If you have inventory that’s not shifting, then get rid to make room for more popular items that do sell. This, in combination, is how you save space in the warehouse when it comes to stock and inventory re-organisation.

Keep everything neat & tidy

Much like the previous point, you might be wondering how keeping your warehouse neat and tidy helps with saving space in the warehouse. There are actually several ways in which it can help. The first is that you’re not holding onto stock that you no longer need. Therefore, unwanted items aren’t taking up valuable space in your warehouse. The second is that if everything is being put back in its place, space isn’t taken up elsewhere with the same items.

For example, let’s say you have a section on your warehouse racking that’s dedicated to hair brushes, then make sure your stock of hair brushes are only ever transported and offloaded to that dedicated space. If you have some hair brushes in the dedicated space and then others elsewhere, you’re taking up space for other things when you already have a space for hair brushes.

Why use extra storage space for the same thing, unless it’s absolutely necessary? As well as ensuring that there’s more space for your warehouse, it also helps in terms of the health and safety of those in the vicinity. It prevents trip hazards, it keeps fire exits and doorways clear and it also mitigates the risk of items falling from a height, which is possible if items aren’t stored properly or securely.

Earmark free space for future projects

If you’re reading this, then it’s likely that you don’t have much free space to earmark. However, if you’re looking to save as much space as possible, then it’s likely that you have some space in your warehouse to spare. Instead of using that space from the offset to store your items, do your best to keep it clear for as long as possible.

Earmark it for future projects or for future plans. For example, you may wish to implement additional material handling equipment at some point, and you’ll need the space to do that, unless you hire warehouse equipment instead, which is something that we here at Multy Lift can help with.

Minimise aisle widths

We’ve already touched on the fact that you’ll be able to put warehouse racking close together to maximise the storage solutions in your warehouse, but it’s especially advantageous to make the aisle widths smaller so as to accommodate additional warehouse racking or to implement warehouse racking of a greater depth. Either way, it allows for additional stock storage.

However, you will still need the right equipment to be able to navigate those narrow aisles and that’s where VNA forklifts come in from Aisle-Master. They’re designed specifically with narrow aisle navigation in mind, as are multi-directional forklifts from CombiLift. Implement these specialist pieces of equipment in your warehouse if you’re wanting to get as much out of your warehouse storage as possible.

Multy Lift has over three decades of experience in the material handling industry, providing customers throughout the UK with quality, high-calibre machinery, tools and equipment that will stand the test of time. From forklifts and reach trucks to order pickers and cleaning equipment, there’s nothing we can’t help with when it comes to material handling, warehousing and distribution. If you would like further information about how we can help you today, get in touch with a member of our expert team – we’re always pleased to hear from you.