How to organize a warehouse?

Warehouses are an important part of doing business. And keeping an organized and neat warehouse has many benefits. From saving time when looking for certain items to safety. So, no matter if you are just setting up your warehouse for the first time or looking to organize a warehouse you are already using, you need to know how to do it the right way. It will greatly increase the efficiency and streamline the entire process.

Why should you organize a warehouse

Proper warehouse management is an important part of doing business. Keeping everything neatly packed and sorted will benefit you in many ways and it’s one of the best storing and moving tricks you’ll ever receive. First, it will be much easier to manage items in the warehouse. When you know where what is located it’s much easier to see your stock status. Even without going through spreadsheets. It will also make the whole process of getting things out of the warehouse easier. By properly labeling shelves and boxes you will spend only seconds locating the goods you need. So, not only will your item management be more efficient, but it will also save you a lot of time.

Organizing a warehouse isn’t that hard

While it might seem like a big load of work, it’s actually not that complicated. Of course, this depends on the size and type of your warehouse. But, the process is more or less the same for any warehouse. By making a proper plan and getting some professional help it will not take too much time or money. All you have to do is get rid of the junk, shuffle your items a little bit and label everything. Professional junk removal services are affordable, so you don’t have to worry too much about the cost of that. And sorting your items is just a matter of making the right plan. The better you organize a warehouse, the easier it will be to manage items in it.

Make a floor plan

The first step that you need to take when you want to organize a warehouse is to make a floor plan. This is especially important if you are setting up a warehouse for the first time. By knowing exactly how much space you have, and where you want your items to go, you will know how many shelves and racks you will need. Even if you need to re-organize a warehouse, making a thorough floor plan will be beneficial.

When setting up a warehouse for the first time make sure to have a sketch of the warehouse floor. You can do this by hand, or on a computer for better accuracy. Once you have it, you should start by selecting shelving and racks that will help you organize a warehouse. Check the dimensions either in the store or online. And try to apply them to your sketch. Don’t forget to leave enough space in between them for a forklift.

When you want to organize a warehouse that is already in use you have to take into account the shelves you already have. So, when making a floor plan make sure you include them in it. There’s no need to throw away perfectly good shelves just because you are re-organizing. But start as if they are empty. Consider hiring commercial or residential movers to help you shuffle things around. It will make the whole process easier.

Get rid of the junk

When you want to organize a warehouse that is already in use, you should get rid of all the junk before you start organizing it. Moving everything around is much easier when you only deal with useful items. So, call a junk removal company like Grunts Move Junk and Moving Massachusetts to help you do it. It’s not expensive and there’s no reason to do it by yourself. It will make the process much easier. We all tend to hang onto old items we don’t really need. Both in our households as well as in our professional environment. But, when you are organizing a warehouse that can mean the difference between having a neat warehouse or having to put in extra effort to juggle things around. It will increase the efficiency of your warehouse if you get rid of all the junk.

Same goes if you are setting up a warehouse for the first time. When moving your items you need to minimize the number of unnecessary items. You should organize a warehouse properly from day one.

Selecting shelves

The next step that you need to take when you want to organize a warehouse is to select shelving. You need to pay attention both to the quantity and quality of the storage solutions you are picking. A warehouse is not something you change often. So, make sure you are thinking about the future when selecting them. Most warehouses use pallet racking systems as they are durable and safe to use. And they allow you to make the most of your vertical space. There are several different types of shelves and racks that will help you organize a warehouse:

• Drive-in or drive-thru racking
• Flow-through racking
• Push back shelving
• Cantilever racks

The types and amount depend greatly on available space and the type of business you are running. While furniture stores will choose a wider drive-in racking, electronics stores will choose more compact ones.

Item management

Once you’ve selected the shelves and racks, it’s time for item management. This is probably the most important part when you want to organize a warehouse. This, again, depends greatly on the type of business you are running. But, in any case, you should try and group items together. You should also take into account which items sell better. Those items should be more accessible. While the ones that aren’t going so well can be left behind.  So, remember to find movers who are going to make sure that everything is stored where it should be.

When re-organizing your existing warehouse, the best practice is to take everything out and start from scratch. No matter what the case is, it’s very important to label items and racks. Make sure that the labels are clearly visible. And make a spreadsheet that will help you find items you are looking for.