Many fashion retailers, such as Joules, Hobbs and Boohoo are increasing their online retail operations and are opening new warehouses or expanding the capacity of existing ones.
When planning a new warehouse, a warehouse equipment producer should be consulted as they are experts in warehouse logistics. They will make bespoke equipment specially modified for a warehouse’s particular needs.
There are a number of factors to consider when planning a new warehouse:
Optimising space
Storage and order processing space needs to be optimised to hold as many items as possible in the available space. An equipment producer can supply a range of warehouse racks and can suggest the best rack and shelf layout that takes advantage of all the space.
When looking at space, plan for the future. Ideally, the warehouse needs spare capacity for when business increases.
Location
If building a new warehouse or finding an existing one to buy or rent, location is crucially important. The warehouse needs to be close to major motorways so that goods can be received and dispatched quickly.
Finances
A business needs to know how much the new warehouse or warehouse expansion will cost. The warehouse equipment producer will provide a quote for the shelving, packing tables, trolleys and other essential equipment.
Plan for budget overruns in case there are unforeseen costs.
Make financial forecasts for extra staff costs to run the warehouse. Running costs need to be accounted for, including energy consumption, insurance and security.
The main thing is that the new warehouse operation has to be profitable.
Technology
The planning stage of a new warehouse is a good time to look at technology and automated systems that run the warehouse. Automated systems may have a high initial cost but can pay for themselves in increased efficiency and order processing speed.
Unless a business is large, automating the warehouse with robots like Amazon, will be prohibitively expensive. For lesser budgets research systems that track goods from being received at the warehouse, placed on shelves, picked, packed and dispatched. Automated systems speed up order processing and minimise costly errors.
The flow of people
The layout of shelving and packing stations needs to take account of the flow of people in the warehouse. Pickers with trolleys should be able to pass each other easily, while packers need to have all the equipment and packing materials at hand.
Health and safety
If powered vehicles like forklifts are used, safety procedures have to make sure that pedestrians are safe and protected from collisions.
All employees need to be trained in the safe lifting of items and pulling/pushing trolleys.
Shelving needs to be strong and fixed securely, with bollards or other barriers installed to prevent collisions between vehicles or trolleys.
A UK-based warehouse equipment producer will give advice on the best equipment suitable for the new or extended warehouse. They will arrange for delivery and the erection of the new equipment so that the warehouse is ready to process orders as quickly as possible.
Don’t settle for a second-rate warehouse equipment producer. Contact Steely today to discover what we can do.
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