The Most Effective Ways to Organize Your Warehouse

Your business is growing like crazy and you are long past the days of being a small company that keeps its needed tools and inventory in a small space of only few square meters. Now you are proud to say that your business has grown big enough that you need your own warehouse. Great for you! But bear in mind that managing a warehouse is not an easy task at all. One wrong move can literally doom your business. So to make sure you have everything in perfect order, follow this simple set of unwritten warehouse rules.

Pallet Storage Racking Is a MUST!

Some of the most successful businesses would quickly fall apart if it weren’t for the convenient storage racking systems. Pallet racking in particular is very popular for several reasons:

• Efficient use of space – Pallet racking systems stock inventory vertically on rows as high as your warehouse’s sealing. This allows larger amounts of it to fit in a smaller space which ultimately saves you a lot of room.

• Safety – Pallet racks are made from durable steel designed to support any kind of weight and protect your inventory from falling over, which also increases workers’ safety. Having everything secured on a pallet means avoiding the risk of being buried by an avalanche of freely stacked boxes.

• Adjustable – Over time the amount of your inventory will certainly change. You could have much more of it so it will no longer fit the pallet’s stack, or you could end up having way less than you used to have – leaving you with a lot of unused space. But worry not – the many screws and holes in a pallet system allow you to modify the number of rows and the size of the gap between them and thus adjust it to your inventory’s size.

Stick to the Safety Regulations

Most of the causes for accidents in a warehouse environment are related to improper safety education or even worse – a lack thereof. For that reason, make sure that all of your employees are aware of the following:

• The dressing code – Provide proper protective uniforms for all your employees and make sure they do wear their eyewear, gloves, suit and everything needed for the ultimate protection.

• How to use the equipment properly – Invest time into educating them on how to use a forklift, what not to do to avoid electrocution and all the other machinery your warehouse has.

• The common warehouse hazards – Your employees need to regularly check that the ventilation system runs properly because some of the stored stuff may contain certain dangerous chemicals.

Flammable materials need to always be properly labelled and put on a secure spot. Your employees also need to be careful when stacking items – it’s a must that they do this right so that they don’t fall off later and cause some kind of an accident.

Implement the 5S Methodology

The Japanese are world-renowned for being extremely diligent workers. We all think they work like crazy, but their secret to dealing with heaps of workload is having a successful organizing strategy called the 5S methodology. This is what all the S’s stand for:

• Seiri (Sort out) – Of course you cannot sell everything and some things are bound to be left behind. Cleaning them out and anything else you think is no longer profitable for you will reduce the unnecessary clutter and make space for the more important items.

• Seiton (Set in order) – After eliminating all the junk, move on to organizing. Set a strategy for stocking that will make your inventory easy to find. You can use an alphabet system, but it’s more convenient to stock related pieces close together. Try out different strategies and find out what works best.

• Seiso (Shine) – At the end of the day clean up your warehouse. Put away any items left on the floor during a particular busy day and clean the floors, tools and machinery. Doing so will eliminate any workplace hazards such as tripping or falling on a slippery floor.

• Seiketsu (Standards must be high) – Do everything the best way possible – invest in quality storage racking, teach your employees everything there is to know, secure the whole warehouse, regularly check your machinery, etc.

• Shitsuke (Sustain) – Stick to all the above mentioned rules without an exception and regularly control everything that happens in your warehouse. Taking care of a warehouse implies a lot of hard work, so do not let things slip out of your control.