In modern warehouses and manufacturing facilities, the vertical cube should be fully exploited, meaning that you should use overhead air space in your storage and processing operations because it’s less expensive and more efficient. Before you expand or relocate, it’s always better to use that space. You’ve already paid for it and the environmental costs of using it.

Using that space comes with some limitations. One is that you’ll need to transport pallets up to mezzanines or other machinery. While that’s more difficult than moving cartons or other lighter loads, there are ways. Let’s examine some of those options.

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As multi-family apartments and condominiums are continuing to be constructed at a fast pace nationwide, the need for those that dwell in those spaces to store their belongings is a need that never goes away, only amplified by our e-commerce consumer culture. If your location doesn’t offer storage for tenant excess, then consider using storage lockers to solve this problem and (possibly) make you some extra money.

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Increasing space in your current facility is a big decision that requires an evaluation from a number of perspectives for the best outcome. Mezzanines are a common, relatively fast and economical way to add space to warehouses, factories, hangars and other commercial facilities. You should work through the following considerations for mezzanine design and specification.

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Pallet rack is the most common storage equipment you will find in most warehouses and industrial storage applications. On its face, rack is simple to specify, purchase and install, but there are situations where you should consult an expert involving space efficiency, seismic zones, safety, difficult loads and other situations. Let’s look into some situations where professional help is necessary.

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Out of space? You are not alone. With increasing SKUs and inventory levels, many warehouse operators are staging products in the aisles, using outside storage, and mixing SKUs in locations. All of this lowers labor productivity and impacts quality. So, where is the hidden capacity in your warehouse?

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With e-commerce operations moving at an ever-increasing pace, you must take every advantage to meet consumer expectations. You not only want to save the customer time on their order, but also gain manufacturing and processing time by doing so. With careful consideration and a robust process, each aspect at play in a distribution center or warehouse could be an opportunity to save seconds.

To maximize every advantage, more facilities are turning towards automation to meet those strong demands. By utilizing automation, a distribution center can provide a more flexible and efficient environment in addition to more accurate orders delivered on time. The ability to scale and grow with automation is also an attractive one. But to jump headfirst into the automation process is a daunting task, and can cause an operations manager cause for concern. Two overlooked areas that can become a “tipping point” for this process are mezzanines and VRCs.

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Pallet storage is easy, or at least easier

The idea behind pallets was to unitize and standardize the storage of standard blocks in racks designed to store those units. The more standard the item, the easier it is to store and handle. You make sure your rack and forklifts can handle the pallet size and weight, and essentially you have a relatively dense, easily-accessed storage scheme. It isn’t as easy for loads like tube, pipes and other long, heavy loads. There are options of course, and we are here to break those down for you.

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In part one of this series, we discussed the fundamentals of facility measurement and the impact building column types and spacing can have. The most common issue people have with layout tends to be building columns, but working with obstructions is a close second. Let’s break down the common obstructions that can throw off your measurements.

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In a recent article released by the Wall Street Journal, warehouse space was showcased as being at its tightest since 2000. While this should come as no surprise that this issue of space is consistently growing, the rate at which warehouse vacancy is dwindling is far outpacing the increase in new construction.  In the second quarter of 2018 alone, industrial real estate availability fell to 7.2%. This creates in a unique predicament for those thriving and looking towards expansion, but also provides opportunities for those who can maximize their available footprint.

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Online sales will account for 17% of all U.S. retail sales by 2022, up from a projected 12.7% in 2017. As you might imagine, warehouses are suffering from a major capacity crunch. Whereas previously warehouses were organized to handle large volumes of each product, E-commerce orders are characterized by a low quantity of many items or just a singular item. In an e-commerce oriented warehouse, huge quantities of SKUs exist, each needing their own specific storage slots.

Warehouse managers know that inventory levels can fluctuate anytime within a sales season, especially during a holiday when inventory levels are typically at their peak, often double or triple normal levels. Plus, because of the Amazon-effect, consumers are demanding more products with faster and better service, putting additional strain on warehouse space. Because of this growth, many businesses are looking for additional space to distribute and store products, but warehouse real estate is hard to find.

What is a retailer to do? The answer for additional space can be found within the four walls of your current operation.

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