Taking on any building project is extremely stressful and requires serious planning. The planning will never cause a building project to run 100% smoothly, but it will allow you to make plans much quicker.
When you want to build a warehouse, the logistics become a bit more intense and if you fail to plan well, you plan to fail. Apart from the building itself, planning is the most important part of the process. Here are some tips to make the planning process a bit easier.
Inventor and storage needs
A business should never be static and therefore, your warehouse should also not be planned with a static function in mind. Although it is not always possible to predict the exact trajectory of your business, you could factor likely changes into your plan.
The main purpose of your warehouse will probably not change that much, but if you plan it to be modular in nature, it will be much easier to change the inside of the warehouse or certain areas. Allocating enough space for high-volume stock is another factor that should be carefully considered as it will affect the rest of the storage space.
Choosing warehouse equipment
The industry that you operate in will determine the equipment that you will need for your warehouse. There will probably be some standard equipment included, like forklifts and cranes but there are also new machines that can make your warehouse run even more streamlined. There will be mobile equipment as well as static machines.
Factors to consider for the mobile machines is where they will be stored and how they will move around the warehouse. The placement of the static machines and equipment is very important. To get this right, you should consider consulting a process engineer to determine the optimum placement of your equipment.
Shelving options
Although it seems like a trivial aspect of your warehouse, the shelving that you choose is important. A balance between function, durability and cost will be the factors that will help in making an informed decision. The other aspect of the shelving that makes a difference is the weight and size of the products you intend to store.
Everything from assembly bins to pallet racks and heavy-duty shelving should be considered before making a final decision. If you want to save a bit of money, you could opt for buying pre-owned shelving.
Assess your current operations
When you plan your warehouse, you have to look at both your current operations and needs, as well as looking to the future and where your company is growing. With these two factors in mind, the decisions you make regarding location, size and technical specifications about your warehouse become much more informed.
If you have a current warehouse and are looking to expand, you will be able to factor in the future needs of the warehouse. For even better results, you should consult a commercial construction company like Charter Group USA. They have ample experience and will be able to advise you on some of the decisions that were made, as well as highlight some aspects that you might have missed.
Traffic flow strategy
Warehouses can become very busy and if the traffic flow is not carefully planned out, it could become a hazardous environment to work in. People can quickly get in each other’s way or an accident can happen.
The things to consider when you plan your traffic routes is how much time your employees will spend in a given area and what the time will be spent on. Furthermore, the needs of your employees in terms of what they will need to move around will also be important.
