Managing a warehouse can be quite a handful. You should always ensure that your employees and the items you are keeping are safe all the time. One of the ways to ensure this is to organize your stocks properly.
To do this, you must install the correct shelving in your warehouse. Therefore, you must be picky when choosing what shelving to use. Without further adieu, here are some tips you can use in choosing the best industrial shelving for your warehouse.
Consider the Weight of Your Stocks
The first tip when choosing industrial shelving is to consider the weight of the items you are stocking on the shelves. Different kinds of shelves are made from various materials and for specific uses.
Some industrial shelves are made heavy-duty to withstand large items. Meanwhile, other shelves are made only to carry lightweight items. Most warehouses deal with stocks and supplies that have different weights.
If you need to choose what shelving to use, you must first know how much each category of stocks weighs and choose to shelve accordingly.
Know whether your supplies mainly consist of large and heavy items, or does it consist of more lightweight products, or is it 50/50? Once you figure out how much each of your supply categories weighs, you will know which shelving you should use in organizing your stocks.
How Much Space You Have for Storing
Various warehouses have different storage spaces. Some may have substantial available space that can be utilized when organizing all the items on the inventory, while others only have minimal space. You need to make the most out of the space that you have.
Before you start installing a storage shelf, make sure the shelf you choose will maximize the available space. For instance, if you have a small storage space, you might want to consider choosing the tallest shelf available.
It is to ensure that you are maximizing the space that you have. If you are currently storing lightweight items on a shelf made for heavy objects, you might want to change your shelves. Instead, use tall and narrow shelving made to store lightweight supplies.
Know Each of the Racking and Shelving Options You Have
Another thing you should do when choosing the proper industrial shelving for your warehouse is to familiarize your options. There are seven racking and shelving solutions available for you to use, depending on what kind of storage solution you need. Check out these seven options below and see which one suits your needs best.
- Rivet Shelving
This type of shelving is the most reliable of all industrial shelving. It is easy to assemble because it only uses interlocking rivets and gravity to hold up the entire shelving.
- Wire Shelving
The next available option you have is wire shelving. This shelving is made with mesh wire that is supported by metal frames. It is a lightweight option that can easily be moved from one place to another, thanks to its wire mesh material.
- Bins Systems
If you are dealing with many small materials in your warehouse, the bin storage system would be the best for you. It can help you optimize your storage and can even be utilized to improve wire shelvings.
- Selective Pallet Racking
Aside from shelvings, racking is also an option made available for you. The selective pallet racking, for instance, is best for warehouses that need heavy-duty storage.
- Drive-in Racking
The drive-in racking is the best option for higher storage capacity needs that the selective pallet racking could not handle.
- Cantilever Racking
If you are storing sturdy materials like plywood, lumber, and the like, you might want to consider using cantilever racking. It is made to store this kind of bulky item in a warehouse.
- Push-back Racking
The Push-back racks can hold pallets two to six deep on either side.
Always Consider Safety
When picking a storage solution for your warehouse, you must always keep safety in mind. You should choose an enormous shelf if you are storing many items. This way, you can avoid the stock congestion and risk falling. It can be challenging for someone to pass through if this happens.
Having tall and narrow shelves might be a good option to utilize a small space, but you should keep in mind that storing heavy items in this storage can lead to an accident inside the warehouse.
There is also a shelving option that is closed to ensure that your supply won’t fall off. However, this solution is best if your supplies can be stored out for ease of access.
You have to choose the appropriate shelves or racks for storing, no matter what it’s worth. Remember, safety should always be the top priority.
Choose the Best Industrial Shelving Wisely
With the number of options that you have, choosing can be difficult. However, it would be best to decide which storage solution to pick and not only look at how much you will spend. It is already given that industrial shelving can cost significantly, but you should be wise and never sacrifice efficiency and safety for a lower cost.
