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How to Maximise The Fixed Infrastructure Of Your Warehouse

Although you may not realise it, every warehouse has fixed infrastructure. In warehousing terms, fixed infrastructure refers to any installation in your warehouse that is static or built-in, and is essential to your warehouse’s operation.

This includes your warehouse shelving, racking, tracks, cranes, and any other stationary or fixed systems. This equipment is vital to the operation of your warehouse and tends to remain static, hence the name fixed.

The type, condition, and placement of fixed infrastructure can have a major impact on the overall efficiency of your warehouse. Read on to learn how to maximise the fixed infrastructure of your warehouse in order to maximise productivity and output.

Review the space

Before making any changes, you first need to know how much room you have to work with. Consider vertical space as well as floor space. Think about how space can be maximised by building both upwards and outwards.

Continually review the space in your warehouse to ensure all of the available space is being utilised. If you have empty space that you can think of no use for, keep it clear of obstructions so that traffic can flow through easily, whilst you decide what to do with it.

Assess the layout

You must also review the layout of the warehouse and its fixed infrastructure. Does everything flow logically through the warehouse, from station to station with minimal movement? If not, consider moving infrastructure to streamline processes and improve efficiency.

Create additional routes

A variety of personnel, items, and machinery will pass through your warehouse. Having several paths through the warehouse will increase productivity. Alternate paths can allow for items of varying sizes and weights to pass through and get to their destination more quickly and efficiently.

Separate irregular pallets

Having non-conforming pallet sizes is likely to be a hindrance when it comes to maximising space. It will be difficult to store them effectively, and they are likely to cause an obstruction or take up valuable space if they are larger than your typical pallets.

If you are unable to transfer stock to standard-sized pallets, or if you have a lot of stock on irregularly sized pallets, then it may be worth getting pallet racking that is specifically designed to hold non-standard pallets. This will help in keeping your warehouse organised and free of obstruction.

Label everything

Even with fixed infrastructure, it can sometimes be difficult to find what you are looking for in your warehouse, especially if you have a lot of different items, often stock new items, or regularly relocate items.

Clearly labelling every shelf and rack within the warehouse, and having a spreadsheet that tells you where each item is stored, will help your team to quickly identify where items are. You may label your racks A-J and then have shelves 1-10 on each rack, so when you look something up, you would see it is on rack D, shelf 9.

For professional advice on how to maximise the fixed infrastructure in your warehouse, get in touch with Logical Storage Solutions. Our expert team is on-hand to find a solution to any unique storage problem, so call us on 0845 689 1300, or email [email protected].

Logical Storage Solutions is an innovative provider of storage equipment and interior workspaces for both industrial and commercial environments, including office partitions, warehouse racking, 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.