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How To Keep Your Warehouse Safe And Clean

Having an unorganised or unclean warehouse is a recipe for disaster. You are more likely to
encounter product damage, accidents, and injuries. A warehouse needs to be
organised and clean if you want it to be safe, effective, and productive.

There is always room for improvement when it comes to the safety and cleanliness of a
warehouse. Here are some top tips to help you keep your warehouse safe and clean.

Regularly empty bins

When it comes to poor warehouse cleanliness and safety, a common issue is not emptying bins
regularly and allowing them to overflow. This can create tripping hazards and can be
unhygienic, posing health risks to workers.

Set a schedule for bins to be emptied regularly. If you notice that your bins are getting
full quickly, consider scaling up your waste disposal and implementing recycling bins to help
distribute waste and prevent bins from overflowing.

Stock up on cleaning products

To promote and achieve a warehouse environment that is clean and safe, it needs to be
stocked with ample cleaning products and hygiene equipment.

Ensuring staff have access to anything they may need, from mops and spill kits to personal
hygiene products such as hand sanitiser and tissues will help to cultivate a clean and safe
working environment.

An effective way of promoting cleanliness and encouraging staff to follow health and safety
procedures is to have cleaning stations around the warehouse. This will ensure that cleaning
products and equipment are always nearby and easily accessible.

Promote good hygiene practices

Promoting good hygiene practices is essential to preventing the spread of germs. From pens
and safety knives, to the controls on a machine, there are tools and equipment in a warehouse
that are used regularly and by multiple people.

Having signage in bathrooms and break areas to remind workers to thoroughly wash and try
their hands, and providing hand sanitiser at all workstations and alongside commonly used
equipment will help to encourage staff to practice good personal hygiene.

Provide regular training on waste management and cleaning procedures to ensure that staff are
aware of cleaning processes throughout the warehouse.

Encourage sick employees to stay home

Workers are often discouraged from taking time off sick from work, as sickness absence is
typically seen as an inconvenience or disruption to work. This can actually have a negative
impact on productivity and result in lost time.

If someone is unwell at work, they could cause other workers to become ill and make the
problem worse. Promote a healthier and safer work environment by encouraging workers to
stay home if they are unwell.

Avoid overstocking

To maintain a clean and safe warehouse, it is important to ensure the floor and aisles are free
from obstacles. Having too much stock can result in product overflow and often means stock is
stored on the floor and aisles which poses health and safety hazards.

If you have more stock than will fit on the racking, then consider having a designated space for
product overflow, so that it is not on walkways. This will reduce the risk of products being
damaged due to not being on a rack, as well as reduce the risk of accidents and injury.

Having quality pallet racking systems which are designed for your warehouse and tailored to
your inventory and processes will help in utilising space, keeping the floor clear from
obstructions, and ensuring that pallets are organised and stock is safe and easy to find.

If you are interested in improving or replacing your warehouse storage systems, get in touch
with Logical Storage Solutions. Our expert team is on-hand to find a solution to any 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.

The Uses and Benefits Of Cantilever Racking

Cantilever racking is an effective solution for storing long and heavy items. It is an open-fronted system that allows for storage of items of any length. Cantilever racking systems are robust and can withstand even the most arduous industrial environments.

There are many benefits to having cantilever racking systems in a warehouse. They can boost efficiency and productivity, effectively utilise space, and maximise storage capacity. Here we explore some of the uses and benefits of cantilever racking.

Key features

● Organised storage of long, heavy loads

● Fully bolt-together system

● Single and double sided

● Custom designed, tailored to your specific requirements

● Heights of up to 10 metres available

● Weight loads of up to 5 tonnes per arm can be supported

● Painted finish for internal applications or galvanized for external applications

● Variety of paint finishes available

Storage capacity

Arm lengths and capacities are tailored to suit your requirements. Systems with rack heights of 10 metres and an arm length of 2.5 metres can hold up to 2500 kilograms per level, or up to 5 tonnes per arm.

Versatility

Cantilever racking systems are ideal for storing a wide variety of items, including aluminium sheet and plate, timer packs, heavy pipes and tubes, steel sections, worktops and laminates, scrap vehicles, extrusion, concrete and sheet lintels, raw materials, and panels.

Vertical storage

By building upwards and utilising vertical space, cantilever racking can help to keep the floor of your warehouse clear from obstruction and maximise storage capacity. You can use cantilever racking to store stock which is accessible at height as well as within arm’s reach.

Improved safety standards

In helping to clear the floor of obstruction, and storing items out of harm’s way, there will be fewer hazards on the floor, fewer accidents, and a clearer, wider path for people and vehicles to navigate safely through the warehouse.

Indoor or outdoor use

Designed to withstand the weather, cantilever racking is suitable for both indoor and outdoor installation. This means that you can utilise the space outside your warehouse as well as inside to really maximise capacity.

Robust and long-lasting

Cantilever racking systems are built to last. They are hard-wearing and can withstand most weather conditions for many years. They can also withstand a high amount of pressure and heavy loads without compromising the integrity of the racks.

If you are considering adding cantilever racking to your warehouse, or would like advice on the best-tailored storage solution to your warehouse requirements, then 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.

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.

Tips When Moving Pallet Racks

Warehouses are always evolving and adapting to improve efficiency or in response to changes in stock, demand, and business objectives. This means that the layout of a warehouse is never set in stone, and you are likely to need to move pallet racks at some point.

A great investment, pallet racking can increase your warehouse’s storage capacity, and improve organisation and productivity. Luckily, it is relatively easy to dismantle, move and rebuild, so you can continue to benefit from your investment for many years.

To minimise your chances of facing disruption, damage, or injury caused by moving pallet racking systems, here are some helpful tips to follow when moving pallet racks.

Planning your pallet rack relocation

Before moving your pallet racking, ensure that you have planned it all out. Consider your answers to the following questions:

● Where will you store the stock whilst it is not on the racking?

● How will you move the racking to its new place?

● When will cause the least disruption?

● Who will carry out the dismantling, moving, and installation?

Moving your pallet racking

Once you have a well-thought-out plan, you can carry out the unloading and dismantling of the racking, ready for relocating it.

To minimise disruption and the risk of injury or damage, the whole process should ideally be carried out by the company which installed the racking, or another professional company.

However, if you wish to dismantle your pallet racking internally, be careful not to cause any damage when dismantling the racking system, and to keep all of the pieces organised to help ensure it is put back together easily and correctly.

Re-installing your pallet racking

Moving your pallet racking rather than buying a new system can save you money, but installing it incorrectly can be costly.

This is why you must hire a professional company to re-install your pallet racking, to help prevent rack failure which can result in damage, injury, and product loss.

Having your racking system professionally dismantled and installed will help to ensure that it still meets all health and safety standards and regulations in its new location.

Adding to your pallet racking

Now is an ideal time to review your current racking system and whether you would benefit from expanding your pallet racking.

You could have a new racking system installed in conjunction with the relocation of your current racking, which may save you money compared to doing both things separately.

This will also ensure that it fits into your new plans so you do not need to move your racking again in the near future.

For professional advice and service that you can trust, get in touch with our expert team at Logical Storage Solutions 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 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.

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.

8 Ways to Make Your Warehouse More Eco Friendly

Warehouses can create a lot of waste and use a huge amount of energy. By introducing some initiatives, warehouses can significantly reduce their emissions, create a positive brand image and potentially save costs at the same time. Here we discuss 8 ways a warehouse can easily make changes that will positively impact the environment.

1. Change your lighting

Ensure your lighting is switched to an eco-friendly option such as LEDs. Not only does LED lighting last longer, they produce a lower heat output and can be impactful in your warehouse. Adopting new lighting systems is one of the easiest changes a company can make and see the benefits quickly. The initial upfront cost of the lighting switch is higher than a standard switch, but LED bulbs tend to last longer than standard lighting and reduce the amount of electricity that is used. You will have to pay slightly more for the initial upfront cost of the lighting switch; however, they will last significantly longer and will help cut down on your electricity bill at the same time.

2. Make energy-efficient choices when buying new equipment

Consider environmental factors when purchasing new equipment. For example, many warehouses are now opting for forklifts that are powered by hydrogen as opposed to electricity. Charging a gas canister only takes 5 minutes as opposed to 30 minutes for electric versions. They help reduce waste products, lower your operating costs and improve productivity as the amount of downtime is decreased. Another positive is that hydrogen-fueled forklifts do not produce harmful emissions, helping to reduce the warehouses’ overall greenhouse gas emissions.

3. Use plastic pallets

Plastic pallets are extremely durable, can be used for a range of goods and when they are worn out, they can be recycled. They are also extremely light compared to other materials, meaning that they are more cost-effective when being transported.

4. Start a recycling program

Setting up a recycling program may seem like a daunting task however warehouses do have a lot of waste that is easily recycled such as cardboard, so this is a great way to start. By putting some procedures in place that are easy to teach your staff, you will soon be able to cut down on your waste.

5. Invest in better insulation

Investigate your current insulation. Insufficient insulation can result in a huge amount of heat loss. Although reinsulating your warehouse may appear to be a large and expensive project, the long-term benefits and future savings can easily offset this.

6. Build up instead of relocating

If you are running low on storage or working space, consider building up instead of relocating. It takes a lot of organization, materials and labour to move a warehouse so make the most of your current space before deciding to move. Having pallet racking extended vertically is a great way to increase your available space. Alternatively, you can consider a mezzanine floor to create another level to your warehouse.

7. Cut back on packaging

Wherever possible, cut back on the packaging you are sending your goods out in. Not only will less waste be produced by doing this, the overall cost per package will reduce. Also use biodegradable packaging as well.

8. Optimise your warehouse layout

Plan the layout of your warehouse carefully. By placing fast-moving stock in a convenient location, you can improve the efficiency of your staff.

There are many benefits to warehouses going green. It can reduce your bills, increase sustainability, reduce your carbon footprint and be a great way to differentiate yourself from your competitors. The best thing is, even making small changes now can help make your warehouse more environmentally friendly so try and implement as many things as you can.
Although some of the steps above will take some organisation, planning and initial investment, overtime when the process smooths out, the benefits of being a greener warehouse will be able to be seen clearly.

Here at Logical Storage, we can offer high-quality storage solutions, racking inspections and mezzanine flooring for your business. Call us on 0845 689 1300 for more information.

Drive in racking vs drive through racking

Often the success of a business comes down to the slightest of margin. If you can take a critical eye to the small details day-in-day-out, then over time you could make a huge difference to the success of your business and the smoothness of your operations.

One key way that businesses can adapt is to further optimise their storage space. Pallet racking systems are a fantastic way to get the most out of the space you already have without the need to move to larger premises. They come in all different shapes, sizes and colours and can suit a variety of different purposes.

Let’s take drive-in and drive-through racking for example, as both are fantastic if you have large amounts of the same product in your warehouse. This type of racking can easily be expanded and help make the most of your warehouse all year long. Let’s look at some of the key differences between these two types of racking and look at some optimal ways that they can be used.

Drive in racking uses a FILO system which stands for first in – last out. This type of racking is ideal for items that move quickly, are very popular or have a short shelf life. Items are stored one behind another along continuous beams. It is also good for items that are too delicate or fragile to be stacked on top of each other.

Drive through racking uses as a first in – first out (FIFO) system where the pallets are loaded in from one side of the racking and are recovered from the other side. This type of system helps you keep things streamlined by eliminating the need for lots of different isles and also allows for independent stacking.

Both of these styles of racking are easy to install and highly adjustable and have helped numerous businesses to transcend their previous storage constraints and effectively grow their bottom line in a quick fashion.

Are you interested in finding out more about our racking solutions? Logical Storage possesses many years of experience in installation and all of our racking is designed to meet all European & British standards of quality. Contact us on 0845 689 1300 to discuss your needs in further detail.

Organise your warehouse for 2016

Christmas will arrive and be over before we know, but it offers an important time for reflection with an opportunity to think about how you can push your business forward in the year to come. One easy way that you can do this is by making sure that your warehouse is as efficient as possible.

You can start by thinking about which areas of the warehouse are operating efficiently and which could do with better organisation. The best place to start is by talking to your employees to find out what day to day problems they actually encounter. For example if staff are finding that one item is very popular could you utilize push back racking to allow easy access or could you install double-deep racking to increase your storage capacity for said item.

Identifying overstock is also very important. Items which are not needed, aren’t selling or are just overstocked should be cleared out or moved elsewhere so that you can use that space for more profitable stock. General housekeeping should also never be overlooked, as time spent searching for wrongly placed items or clearing boxes from aisles is wasted time.

A mezzanine floor could also make a big difference to your warehouse, allowing you to arrange your stock more efficiently, increase your storage capacity or even provide you with a dedicated picking and packing area, simply by utilising the upper areas of your building that would normally be wasted. There are infinite design possibilities with a mezzanine floor and they are always tailored towards the requirements of the business having them installed.

Office partitions are another way to improve productivity. They can be set up as admin areas providing you with a distraction free space to complete paperwork, conduct meetings and take phone calls, or alternatively they could be used as a space for staff to take their lunch.

Logical Storage’s experienced team can help your warehouse to perform to its maximum potential. For more information on our racking solutions, mezzanine floors and office partitions please visit http://www.logicalstorage.co.uk/. Alternatively, please call us on 0845 689 1300 for a tailored proposal.

What is dynamic push back racking?

One of the most important factors affecting warehouse productivity is the way that products are stored and retrieved. Taking the time to consider a different form of storage could help to improve your overall efficiency and give you a competitive edge over your rivals. One such racking system which can make a big difference to your operations is dynamic push back racking.

With this type of racking, you can hold up to six pallets and quickly retrieve them. Dynamic push back racking uses trolleys and steel guide channels to hold pallets, and loads them on a slight incline which means that when you remove one pallet, the other pallets move forward by themselves filling the remaining space.

This means that the fork-lift operator can quickly retrieve pallets, as they come to them rather than the other way round. Push back racking is quick and easy to install and is estimated to improve warehouse efficiency by up to 25% when compared with Drive-in racking.

Push back racking is a great solution for your business if you have high density storage, particularly if you are stocking high quantities of the same item. Push back racking uses a Last-In First-Out principle (LIFO) which means that each time you remove a pallet or load one in it will always remain at the front of your racking allowing you quick and easy access with no unnecessary handling.

Logical Storage’s experienced team can help your warehouse to perform to its maximum potential. For more information on our racking solutions please visit http://www.logicalstorage.co.uk/services/racking-solutions/. Alternatively, please call us on 0845 689 1300 for a tailored proposal.

An overview of Carton Flow racking

When it comes to storage, many businesses find themselves at a loss as how to make the most of the space that they have available. Logical Storage provides a wide range of storage solutions to help make the most of the space that businesses have to work with; one of these solutions comes in the form of Carton Flow racking.

Carton Flow racking is an innovative shelving system which utilises wheels and rollers to move products from one end of a rack to another – saving the operator and the business valuable time, reducing travel time and saving up to 30% floor space.

The picking system that Carton Flow racking uses is made up of wheels and roller shelves which are slightly tilted in order to gravitate products towards the person who is picking them which decreases picking times and maximises efficiency. The operator hand loads the product into the back of the system and can stand back as it is automatically moved to the front of the system ready to be retrieved by another operator. This reduces distribution times and helps to reduce the risk of accidents which might occur during normal transit.

Carton Flow racking is a high performance dynamic storage system and as you might expect, the initial investment costs are higher compared with static solutions like office shelving,  To discuss Carton Flow racking or to find out more about our other storage options please call us on 0845 689 1300.