The Layout of your warehouse is vital to the success of your business. Unless your space is used to its full potential, the productivity, inventory control, shipping and safety of your warehouse could be in jeopardy! Today I am going to explore the points which need to be considered to ensure the efficiency of your warehouse is maximized.

Firstly you need to consider the right physical layout which will ensure workers work to their full capabilities and therefore your business runs as efficiently as possible. You need to ensure you have designated areas in your warehouse for specific processes such as picking, packing, dispatching – just to name a few. You will need to ensure these areas are properly and clearly labelled for employees and visitors both close up and at a distance. This ensures that these spaces can be found both quickly and efficiently when required.

Secondly you will want to take into account the factor of light. Not only can poor lighting reduce employee motivation but it can also slow down finding the right products. Proper lighting is needed to ensure complete productivity.

Keeping the warehouse clutter free is a critical element that is often overlooked. Even if your warehouse is small, it still needs to be easily navigated by employees and handling trucks. You will make it a lot more difficult for everyone to have stock and pallets in the middle of aisles and gangways. This helps to ensure staff safety and good ergonomics.

When we design your warehouse we are sure that your solution is adaptable so it can be changed as your business processes change. You will need the racking to evolve with you, not hold you back!

Relocation of areas may also be something worthwhile looking at. You should look at your current layout and identify areas that can be moved or shrunk and then therefore make more usable room for other operations.

Another thing which you need to consider is your aisle length. You want to have shorter aisles so employees do not find it difficult to navigate around the warehouse. Also so the transportation in the warehouse does not need to travel extremely far to reach employees as this may cause problems. Also shorter paths mean a shorter time to retrieve products. You may feel you are sacrificing storage space for shorter aisles, however if it increase employee efficiency it can really outweigh the con.

You know what else you can do… add a whole new floor! At Advanced Handling and Storage we also supply, deliver and install mezzanine floors. These are a great solution for every type of business. They can increase your workspace without having to fork out for a complete renovation.

Ensuring your business is energy efficient can also save you lots of money in terms of energy savings! You should ensure that adequate insulation is in place as well as try to get as much natural light as possible or use LED’s.

The final thing you will want to think about is arguably one of the most important – employee comfort! The more comfortable the employee, the more efficient. You will need to think of elements to the design such as breakout rooms, canteens, noise reduction systems, good ergonomics and temperature control. These really can make a work of difference and really need to be carefully considered as they do make the working environment more pleasant.

Here at Advanced we really can help you maximise efficiency in your warehouse and maximise your warehouse space. We understand that all businesses have different needs and processes so we really listen to what you want to give you the best solution for your business.

To get in touch with our friendly sales team today call 01388 779111 or free phone 0800 345 7088. Alternatively you can send an email to [email protected].

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