Did you know that at any given time, there are over 2 million warehouse owners in Australia? Each of these has needs and requirements that differ from one another, yet they all fall under the trap of rigid and useless warehouse structures. Imagine getting a warehouse. You hire the best men to design your warehouse ergonomically; all the doors and alleys have been designed to allow the maximum flow of goods. Now all you need is your first customer.
But is your godown ready to handle other kinds of goods and merchandise? What happens when an entirely new set of customers arrives at your door? Is your warehouse ready to handle non-conventional goods? Read this article to see how you can fashion your warehouse in various ways to maximize your profitability.
5 Warehouse Structures That You Can Implement In Your Own Warehouse
1. Pallet Racking
This form of storage is very common in logistical movement and stock storage. Pallet racks are made of wood, plastic or metal and can be adapted to the kinds of goods in your storehouse. Pallet racking is best suited for goods stored in boxes; anything that is good for inventory loggings is good for pallet racking.
If you are opting for pallet racking, you need to take care of a few considerations. These are
a) Weight
b) Stability
c) Space or accessibility
While going in for this kind of warehouse structure, you should ensure that all the weight considerations are met. Boxes should not topple over each other. The space in the aisle must be adequate for any forklift movements, forward and backward both to be on the safe side.
There are 13 kinds of pallet parking. Some of these are:
a) Carton Flow Racking
b) Cantilever Racking
c) Coil Racking
d) Double Deep Racking
e) Drive-in Racking
f) Drive through Racking
g) High Bay Racking
h) Mobile Racking
i) Narrow Aisle Racking
2. Shelving
In this form of a warehouse, the stock sits on aisles and shelves. It is stationary and not mobile. Unlike pallet structures as mentioned above, it is not picked up by forklift or similar machinery. Shelving is ideal for quick and easy access to stock just as you would pick your merchandise in supermarket stores.
Because of ease of access, shelving is ideal to stock small goods like agricultural produce, machine parts, clothing, and other small parts. If goods are heavy, then shelving is not a suitable option. Since stock is small and light, you need to handle it with care. To access stockpiled up on high shelves, you need to have stairs. Generally, there are two kinds of shelving warehouses. These are;
a) Short Span Shelving for smaller items
b) Longer Span Shelving for bigger items.
You could further hire professionals to optimize your space and get the right warehouse for your needs.
3. Mobile Shelving
When you want to archive stock, you would go for mobile shelving. As the name suggests, this kind of storage requires shelves. When you want a particular stock, you simply wheel its shelf into the required place. Generally, compact objects are used in this form of storage.
Mobile shelving is preferred by small businesses, which do not have large storage facilities. If you are going in for mobile shelving, you need to pay attention to two things. One, there should be a locking mechanism to keep those shelves in place. Secondly, you need to decide whether you need a mechanical or manual mobile shelving.
4. Multi-Tier Shelving
This kind of storage is ideal in places, which have a lot of vertical space. You can stack objects together and make the maximum of your space. To access stock in this kind of warehouse, you need scissor lifts.
5. Mezzanine Flooring
Here, you are creating additional space by putting up another floor above your aisles. This way, you create massive space in your otherwise constricted warehouse.
We hope this article has given you a brief on the warehouse structure that suits your business demands the most.