Optimize your storage space with 5 best practices from our experts

Lack of space is often cited as one of the biggest sources of delays by managers of warehouses or parts departments.

Warehouse workers know the detrimental effects of a poorly organized warehouse:

• Reduced productivity
  
• Products or tools that are difficult to access or find
  
• Lack of storage space
  
• Suboptimal use of space
  
• Aisles cluttered with poorly stored merchandise
  
• Bad work conditions
  
• Security risks, etc.. 

But what is the remedy to prevent this from happening, or how to correct it?

We share with you the 5 good practices of our industrial layout and storage experts:

We hope these 5 principles will help you make your storage space more optimized and efficient. 

1. Analyse 

Study the time spent by your employees on the road, the routes and the frequency of each trip. Then, identify the places where the obstacles that lead to wasted time.
This will increase your efficiency and free up time and resources.

Example: if the space for receiving new merchandise is difficult to access, or far from the entrance - access will take too long, this is a point to improve.

Tip from the pros – note the traces of your handling equipment, it shows the most frequent paths.

It is essential to manage your time and space well.

And if you find yourself with too much inventory or not sure how to manage your square footage, our space optimization experts can visit your premises and advise you.

2. Adopt the 5S method

"Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain" - the benefits of the 5S method of LEAN are many and obvious.

But its most important aspect is: efficiency.

How to get started?

Keep only what we need, in good condition, tidy, clean and check that it is done by our team.
Everything should have its place - so everything needs a place in your warehouse.

Tip from our pros: the most frequently used tools should be the most accessible.

Markings on the floor or on the equipment (on the shelves, on the pallet racks, or on the wall where the tools are hung) will help the whole team know where to put which equipment.
For tool chest drawers, custom cut foam will do the same.
This habit will allow you to identify what is missing quickly, before needing it becomes a problem.

Maintaining – this is the “nerve of war” and we must do it regularly and not wait to react.
Also, cleanliness is not a waste of time. Often taken as a chore, indeed, it is a task like any other.

Finally, this method must be adopted by the whole team.

Tip from our pros: explain the standardized practices that you adopt, to the different users of the premises, equipment, tools, workstations, etc.

3. Location

Following the “locate” principle, our experts frequently recommend defining locations for different types of merchandise. 

Examples:

• incoming or outgoing goods
  
• for local or long distance delivery
• ready-to-sell or long-term inventory (reserved)
• finished products or ones still to be worked on.

Having areas established like this will allow you to easily locate stock at a glance. This will avoid errors and reduce your preparation time.

This is as important in the warehouse or factory as it is in administration, for example assigning a designated location for files (purchase orders, BL, invoices) processed in priority or completed; which allow you to check the progress visually.

Tip from our pros: If you have two separate delivery routes, separate the goods.
Loading and control will be faster and you will avoid losing information between the warehouse and the delivery.

4. Signage

It is invaluable how much time is lost looking for stock, especially if our responsible colleague is not there at the moment.
Professionals in parts departments that keep products with different sizes or color variants know the risks, posed by misidentified or unidentified merchandise.

It’s simple: to label is to find.
Our expertise since 1976 has shown us that an optimized signage saves us time, space and increases our security.

The time saved from not searching through inventory is better spent elsewhere.

Example: We display labels on the pallet racking systems we install. They contain the maximum capacity among other useful information, and are placed at the eye-level of forklift operators.

Tip from our pros: If you work with partial inventories (partially emptied pallets),
note and display how much is taken during each manipulation.
This will let you know in real time how much stock you have left. 

5. Protocols

"Words fly away, writings remain."
This proverb is also true for warehouse protocols. 

Every optimization you adopt needs to be written down and communicated to your team – whether it's a method to better manage your space, to protect your people or inventory investments, or to make your inventory easier to find.

Establishing and displaying protocols will help you convince your people to adopt new habits and create routines.
There are tasks that may not be readily accepted – such as storing tools or regular cleaning.

Schedule a visit by one of our warehousing and layout experts. They will advise you on the potential optimizations of your space that will help you grow inside your premises.

To schedule a visit to your premises by one of our specialists, contact us. You can even book a virtual appointment on Zoom.

Ask questions to the Pedlex experts who will offer you complete solutions to make your premises more efficient and safe.