6 Types Of Storage Warehouse Systems That Can Be Critical For Your Business

Warehouse storage and inventory costs count against the balance sheet of your business. Overlooking material flow can be a matter of life and death for a business. Just imagine missing deadlines because of inefficient and cumbersome storage methods.

Many business owners looking to improve their storage facilities by using JIT (Just-in-time) and Kanban management strategies to streamline the efficiency of their workflows. These tested methods help the manufacturing plants and the businesses they supply to. The resulting efficiency help their bottom-lines greatly. If you are operating at a narrow margin, improving inventory management is crucial.

Storage space and its relative position to the supply chain are vital to ensure the smooth implementation of these workflows. Planning the warehouse storage systems you need based on your current requirements and plant layout to get the best fit to help your throughput. Note that these systems are a major capital investment. The choice of systems you need should consider several factors, such as warehouse space, stored goods, material handling equipment in use, or if you are currently using cross-docking for your pallets. Even storage at extreme temperatures is a major consideration as well.

Every warehouse space is unique. Your warehouse may have storage with a loading dock with substantial vertical space you wish to utilize. Your business might be confined to limited space. You might need climate-controlled storage like cold storage warehouses. Or you may be running self-storage unit facilities. We are sharing six effective storage warehouse systems or storage options that have been proven effective with World-class companies. Your warehouse space may not fit all of these systems. With the proper orientation on each storage warehouse system, you can find the safest and most cost-effective solution for your storage requirements.

Static shelving systems as a storage unit

These storage units are for storing lightweight goods to be manually picked by hand. These usually refer to a storage unit that can’t be compatible with forklifts. Placing, organizing, and tagging tasks are also done manually. The most common application of static shelving systems is for shop-floor settings where goods less than a few hundred points are stored on the shelves. If you require lighter materials that need continuous replenishment, these shelves can work best for you.

These storage units are not usually for long-term storage solutions unless placed in a separate room or facility for that purpose.

Some rules will define what kind of static shelving you may use. As mentioned, some shelf designs are not fit to hold weights a hundred pounds or more. For that purpose, you might need riveted shelving made of steel.

Another critical consideration is the size of the items being stored. Suppose your shelving is for a tool room. You may need different storage solutions for objects of various sizes. For screws and smaller items, you may need drawer storage and cabinets. For more oversized items, the choice can be more about the depth, the height, and the positioning of the shelves.

The next consideration is the space between your stored goods? Your warehouse storage may not allow everything in one space. For instance, storing hazardous or controlled goods should be separate from the rest of your inventory. You may require another storage facility to hold these critical items.

With all those factors considered, you also need to look at the ease your warehouse storage personnel can access your inventory in a timely manner. Adding up the time it takes to do inventory management work will cost precious labor hours that could have been used productively elsewhere.

You can save money instantly by knowing how to use your static storage units properly. Storage Equipment Solutions, Inc. can help you with all these. You can contact an expert to learn more.

Mobile shelving systems

Mobile racking solutions are similar to static shelving systems in form and function. The main difference between the two is the flexibility to adjust the positioning of the mobile racking systems. Mobile shelving systems are extremely useful for warehouse storage facilities that have limited space. Businesses who seek to hold more units in less space can find these mobile racking systems extremely useful.

The main classifications for these warehouse storage systems are by how these are mounted. These can be mounted on carriage and rail systems to facilitate ease of adjustment of the shelves. Another way is by mounting on wheels.

These mobile racking systems can be moved manually or by mechanized methods. With mobile shelving, you can eliminate fixed aisles and increase productivity by making the inventory more accessible. These mobile racking systems can also give you the flexibility to store inventory according to seasonal requirements.

Some mechanized mobile shelving systems are automated. In these high-tech systems, the position of a specific shelf can be summoned to fixed warehouse personnel or a conveyor system.

The latest distribution centers handling larger inventory utilize these mobile racking systems effectively.

Self-storage facilities can also find this storage unit extremely useful when combined with automated warehouse storage systems.

Mezzanine flooring

If your storage warehouse has sufficient vertical space, you may consider utilizing the vertical space using mezzanine flooring. Mezzanine flooring is effective and can double or triple your warehouse storage space by creating a second (a third, or even a fourth) floor over the main warehouse storage.

You may customize your mezzanine flooring by using sections as an office space. This way, you can free up more space on the main warehouse floor for inventory storage.

You can even use it to rent business storage to support either your own or another business operation.

Many businesses look to install mezzanine flooring because of the versatility it brings to their existing warehouse storage facilities.

Mezzanine flooring may also be designed specifically to provide additional space for manufacturing plants. An office space and a tool room located just above the manufacturing space can save time and ensure operations run smoothly.

As a business storage unit, you can utilize the upper mezzanine levels for storing lighter goods. You may also use the space created by storing archived records, a secure tool room, or for storing higher-value (but lighter) items.

Multi-tier racking systems

Another way of utilizing vertical space is by using multi-tier racking systems. These storage units may look like static shelves. What sets these storage systems apart is their flexibility. Depending on your storage requirements, you can add or remove shelves in this system.

Multi-tier racking systems are mostly found for inventory management of relatively lightweight items organized manually. Weight management is crucial to ensure the safety of operations. For instance, if you have lighter materials, these are best placed on the higher racks.

You also need to consider the turnover of goods in your warehouse storage facility. You may want to place goods with a higher turnover rate on the lower racks.

When using multi-tier racking systems, you must know the ceiling-to-rack height requirements.

Huge warehouse stores like Costco, Sam’s Club, or BJ’s also employ these storage units. Shoppers can pick from the bottom racks while inventory management calls storing goods on the higher racks. Shop personnel can then take boxes of goods from storage units to the consumer in just one narrow area.

Pallet racking systems

Pallet racking systems are typically found in bulk storage facilities where goods arrive in large boxes. Pallets arrive in a truck, then moved to storage with a loading dock. From here, automated or manually-operated forklifts will take over to place the pallets where they need to be. Pallets are usually made of wood, plastic, or metal. These are placed on the pallet racking system by using forklifts or other automated methods in self-storage units.

Pallet racking systems have many sub-categories. These include cantilever racking, double-deep racking, drive-through racking, mobile racking, coil racking, high-bay racking, pallet live racking, and vertical racking, among others.

The selection of which sub-category of pallet racking systems depends on the warehouse storage requirements. These will depend on weight limits, the size of the pallets, flexibility, or if the design requires changing the storage facilities altogether.

Wire Partitions

Wire partitions are low-tech storage solutions where wire-cage partitions are placed to prevent exposing items that may need additional security.

You may use wire partitions to form an office space for managers working on the warehouse floor.

Small business owners may use these to help store inventory instead of having their warehouse storage, or if they don’t opt to rent storage space. Small businesses may use these to combine commercial storage with their office space.

Final thoughts: Selecting what’s best for you

An effective warehouse management system requires the proper selection of these warehouse storage solutions to manage inventory effectively.

With the rise of e-commerce, managing inventory will require more novel and creative solutions to help save cost-effectively. You may not need to wait for new inventions to get your hands on these novel solutions. These storage unit solutions are already in place. All you need may just be advice from experts to ensure that you will have the storage solutions that will fit your warehouse operations. Don’t hesitate to contact us for the best storage solutions that will fit your specific needs.