Is your facility developing a space issue? Before you start looking to move or build out your current facility, consider these 10 creative ways to gain additional room.
1. Consider automated storage
Automated equipment such as automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS), carousels, vertical lift modules and shuttle systems can hold a large volume of goods in a small space.
2. Mount conveyors overhead
Free up floor space by hanging conveyor systems on brackets from the ceiling. This allows room below for picking or for forklift traffic to flow unimpeded.
3. Add a mezzanine
Building a warehouse mezzanine can provide additional workspace for picking, packing and value-added areas.
4. Opt for narrow-aisle storage
Narrow aisles within storage areas allow for more rack positions within the same footprint. Wire-guided forklifts and reach trucks are typically used to access products in narrow-aisle operations.
5. Optimize your inventory
Remove obsolete and excess products from your inventory to free up space for new SKUs.
6. Use the space above your dock doors
Use the space above dock doors to store maintenance items, packaging materials, cleaning supplies and other items that you aren’t needing to use on a daily basis.
7. Invest in slotting software
The use of slotting software can maximize the amount of inventory stored within each rack or shelf position.
8. Use multilevel pick modules
Picking modules can be built with multiple levels to provide easy access to many products within a small footprint.
9. Use pushback and drive-in racks
Drive-in and pushback racking allows products to be stored several pallets deep along the rack fronts.
10. Raise the roof!
If your facility has a low clearance height, consider expanding upward. There are construction firms that specialize in raising the roofs of facilities, providing space for additional warehouse racking and mezzanines at a fraction of the cost of a horizontal expansion.
