A lot of the recommendations that we see today for improving distribution and storage efficiency are geared towards large businesses operating buildings with large footprints. These techniques and tips are great, but sometimes they just don’t make a whole lot of sense if you are working with a smaller space. A lot of shipping and receiving has become more specialized or even subcontracted to smaller distribution centers. This, combined with a global focus on energy efficiency, means that smaller spaces are becoming the norm in many places. With that in mind, let’s look at three ways you can leverage technology in small spaces.
UPS AND DOWNS
One of the most important ways to make the most of a small area is to maximize your use of vertical storage. Today there are a host of great modular shelving and storage systems designed specifically to push stock vertically and take advantage of unused square footage. This infrastructure can be easily paired with safe and easy-to-use vertical carousels for fast stocking and retrieval by your staff. These vertical solutions allow you to effectively increase the size of your warehouse without actually expanding your building. If you are considering vertical storage, make sure that you have a good understanding of your existing storage usage first. Get the most out of what you do have before looking to move upwards.
SPACE BETWEEN
Maximizing space is not just about where you are going to put things, it is also about where you are not going to put things. Decreasing the size of aisles is an often overlooked strategy, but it can be a huge help. Depending on your staff roles and level of automation, it may be possible to implement smaller aisles between storage racks, which will help give you a bigger horizontal footprint of storage from the same overall space. Our team at DMW&H is happy to run the numbers on your warehouse space in order to determine the best aisle size for your business. Smaller aisle sizes may also allow you to implement new automation systems, like robotic retrieval carousels that can operate in smaller spaces than human workers.
INVENTORY
Using all of the data available from your warehouse management system (WMS) is another key piece of the puzzle for maximizing efficient use of smaller spaces. A good WMS should be able to provide you with a prioritization list of how long certain items tend to stay in your inventory. Items with the shortest shelf lives should be stored in the most easily accessible areas, while items that tend to stay in your warehouse longer may be a good fit for vertical racks or other locations. Having actionable data that will inform your reorganization is a key step. This information can also help you identify cross-docking opportunities, where items aren’t put on the shelves at all and are instead sorted and placed into distribution. If you are looking to improve your WMS, our team has plenty of great solutions to offer.
