Tips for Manage Space Effectively in Your Store or Warehouse

When you feel like your retail store or your warehouse is no longer flexible and has reached its full capacity, then you may want to reconsider the layout of your space. It might need some restructuring, expanding, or installation of newer, more advanced shelve management systems that can incorporate your current needs and make room for future ones. Picking the right shop display equipment or warehouse management system is essential for the growth & success of any business.

Here are some points that you can consider while choosing the right shelve management system for your store or warehouse:

1. Consider Both Present & Future Requirements

Firstly, you have to figure out the number of stock-keeping units (SKUs) you will need in your storage space and shelve management systems. These numbers can be estimated by strolling through your previous order records. Previous records can be highly useful in extracting information like the speed at which your inventory turns, the number of SKUs to have in hand, and the working inventory capacity required to service customers in a contemporary business climate.

Given the current competition and developing market conditions, fast delivery & responding quickly to customers’ needs can be a big success factor. The figures you are anticipating must take into account both average and peak quantities on hand in case you have a seasonal business.

2. Complement Your Business Type

Your storing space requirements, shop display equipment, shelve management systems etc, depend on the type of business you are running. You can organize your store in a spacious way by arranging the merchandise by common sizes; however, it may seem an impossible task if your shop display equipment or warehouse management system is unable to provide random location storage. While mapping out an ideal storage design, large-sized products, maximum number of products, and required capacity of working inventory must be considered so that you are able to store any item anywhere.

3. Manpower Requirements

Another aspect that can boost your space management system is the manpower requirement for supervisors, management, lift truck operators, and clerical staff. This is a crucial and inevitable factor that can impact your business significantly. The manpower requirements must be planned meticulously and the budget must be set aside for the same as this expenditure might be more than 60% of your requirements altogether. The safety training process for your operators and staff is quite important and must be an integral part of the hiring process.

You save a lot of time & labor by performing batch picking of similar items for various orders. This can prove efficient and increase accuracy if you manage to sort and merge the orders. Picking up directly from the shipping consignments can further eliminate a step of the whole process, providing you more time for fast delivery.

Several companies are known to replenish their inventories either during night shifts or during peak hours to prepare for the next orders.

Store owners or warehouse managers can opt for bulk floor-stacking or cross-docking of products in large quantities that can quickly turn. This way you can avoid excess management of fast-moving items in & out of rack systems.

4. Mapping out codes & Seismic Zones

One of the most crucial hurdles to overcome & concerns to address is the level to which you and your staff are adhering to the local building codes & seismic requirements. Code requirements can often vary from one state to another or one local municipality to another. However, you must comply with the UBC (Urban Building Code), IBC (International Building Code), or BOCA (Building Officials & Code Administrators) codes.

Seismic risk maps assist you in figuring out whether your property is in a low or high-risk area for potential earthquakes. It is basically based on the risk levels of structural damage in your area.

I'm Preben Paulsen and working with Planova and they are leading manufacturer and supplier of Shelving solutions, shop fitting, retail store displays and best space planners in Europe.