The good news: your distribution center is seeing more business and needs to expand accordingly. The bad news: expanding a warehouse isn’t like expanding a house. You can’t just put an addition on the side or finish the basement. When it comes to the dimensions of a warehouse, the heavy-duty construction generally dictates that what you see is what you get. Besides, even if you could expand your square footage, chances are that neighboring operations would have something to say about it.
It’s incumbent upon you to make the most of what you have. We have some suggestions for how to best maximize your warehouse space from floor to ceiling and everywhere in between. Take heed of these recommendations—and congratulations on your rapid growth.
New Racking Systems
The key to maximizing warehouse capacity is the same as maximizing the capacity of Manhattan Island: build up, not out. Stack your racks as close to the ceiling as they’ll go. If your existing racks don’t feature modular construction that allows you to build up, you’ll have to replace them with new racking systems equipped to reach for the sky. As you make this commitment, be sure to plan sensibly and avoid common mistakes managers make as they ambitiously expand their racking systems.
Add a Second Floor
This isn’t like building a rumpus room over the garage to fit your growing family. Obviously, the higher functions of a distribution center take place on the ground floor, and all operations need access to that level. A mezzanine that rings the perimeter of the building, however, can offer the best of both worlds: a second floor for additional operations that still retains a clear line of sight to the floor. Consider moving offices to the mezzanine and leaving the down-and-dirty warehouse work at ground level.
Tighten Up the Aisles
A story of the radio business is that program directors would surreptitiously speed up record players so that over the course of a set, shaving seconds off each song would make just enough room for an additional 30-second commercial. That seems like a dirty trick, but applying that principle to your aisles can make just enough room for an additional set of racks, and that means more inventory and more revenue.
Double-Deep Racking
If your inventory profile means that you don’t need every item to be readily accessible 24/7, part of how to best maximize your warehouse space is to consider a double-deep rack configuration. If you deal in last-in-first-out goods, the higher density and higher efficiency of double-deep pallet racking is worth the investment.