Logical storage solutions blog

How to get your warehouse ready for the Christmas season

The holiday season is almost upon us which means it is time to start preparing for one of the busiest times of the year.

With an increase in sales, comes an increase in demand and work, and also workplace injuries. Therefore, it is important that while you are planning for the holiday rush, you take steps to maintain a safe workplace.

Layout Review

The first thing you need to do is conduct a review of the warehouse layout, and assess whether it is fit for purpose and equipped to take on the increase in demand and traffic through your warehouse.
Check that everything is well-organised, that you have enough space to store additional stock, that inventory can flow effectively through the warehouse, from arrival to departure. These should be your main priorities.

Process Review

There will be more stock passing through your warehouse than usual, which means any potential issues will be exacerbated.

Follow the process from goods in to goods out to identify any potential pinch points or areas for concern, and take action to make improvements as soon as possible.

Space Requirements

Warehouses often see a large increase in inventory towards the end of the year, in anticipation of the holiday rush.

Bear in mind that you may receive an influx of inventory that needs to be stored away for weeks or even months before the busy period.

Free up as much space as possible by performing pallet consolidation, filling primary locations to maximum capacity, and adding racks or temporary storage solutions, if possible.

Material Handling

Making improvements to your material handling, by installing mezzanine floors or conveyor systems, will improve safety, increase efficiency, and help to maximise storage capacity.

Contingency Plan

Try to have contingency plans in place for any potential failures. Where possible, have back-ups for anything your warehouse relies on for its smooth operation, such as its power, equipment, tools, or machinery.

Staff Requirements

Many companies take on extra staff to help during busy periods. Determine whether this is something that you need to do in order for the warehouse to run efficiently and cope with the increase in demand.

Ensure that all staff are fully trained in their area of work and are familiar with the health and safety policies and procedures to try and reduce the risk of injury or error.

Review the holiday policy and leave requests to make sure there will be enough staff working each day to effectively get the required work done without stretching them too thin.

Inspection & Maintenance

You should inspect and test all equipment and machinery to ensure that everything is working properly. If anything is not in full working order, ensure that it is fixed or replaced as soon as possible – this includes any back-ups.

Making sure that all equipment and machinery is maintained before the rush, will increase your chances of you getting through the busy period without a hitch.

Post-Rush Review

Throughout the holiday season and the lead-up to it, you should take note of what steps you take, what goes well, and what does not go well. You can then review this and learn from it so that you can be prepared for next year, and everything will go more smoothly.

Consultation

To ensure the smooth running of your warehouse not only throughout the festive period, but all year round, you should seek advice from professionals.
Logical Storage Solutions can help you to create a warehouse that is productive, efficient, and maximises space. Contact our expert team on 0845 689 1300, or email [email protected], to find out how.

We are an innovative provider of storage equipment and interior workspaces for both industrial and commercial environments including office partitions and mezzanine flooring.
Offering a consultative approach and nationwide service for all single and multi-site operations, we are your one-stop provider of all storage, workspace, and maintenance solutions.