Inefficient parts storage is the bane of many warehouses, distribution centers, and factory floors. When parts are inefficiently stored, too much time is spent locating parts and valuable time is lost. If you want to see greater efficiency and optimize your parts storage, keep these five keys in mind:
- Use All Space in the Facility: While it may seem obvious, using the entire space in a facility doesn’t just mean floor space. Instead of thinking in terms of square footage, envision the cube – the area including vertical space. Your storage footprint is only half the picture. And if you’re not sure how well your facility is using the vertical space, get up on a ladder to get a 15-foot view: If you see walls, you’re probably not optimizing your vertical space.
- Eliminate Walking Aisles: It may seem to be a given that each shelf or rack must have an aisle in front of it to provide access, but this is simply not always the case. If you install mobile racking or shelving, you’ll have a system that creates only one aisle where and when needed as opposed to having multiple static aisles that are, essentially, wasted space.
- Condense Shelves that Have Unused Space: Sometimes, especially in long-standing operations, an area is devoted to a particular item or type of item that is no longer in high demand and doesn’t represent as much inventory as it once did. In this scenario, it is best to consolidate shelves and racks to eliminate this unused space.
- Install Parts Drawers with Partitions and Dividers: Another scenario is when a shelf or drawer that is dedicated to a particular product that you don’t want mixed with another has unused space. In this situation, a simple solution is adding partitions and dividers and creating a greater number of smaller dedicated spaces.
- Install Vertical Storage System: A vertical storage system, such as a vertical carousel or a vertical lift module (VLM), can be a great way to achieve the first four points. What’s more, vertical storage systems provide greater efficiencies and lead to a reduction in pick errors, allowing you to improve both ergonomics and safety while improving productivity.
If you’d like to hold all the keys to eliminating inefficient parts storage at your warehouse, distribution center or factory floor, call the storage-system experts at Outsource Equipment Company today at 877-741-6711.
