In the line of business, even the smallest problems can cause their biggest downfall, but it can also be the other way around. We may underestimate these little things, but their impact may lead the business to a whole new stage, especially for those small businesses. It doesn’t mean that it has to be very complicated, but it needs to be planned out.
One important aspect of running a business is how you handle the storage area or warehouse. Normally, it is where commodities and merchandise are being kept before being displayed in a shop. Any minor changes in how you handle it can have a huge effect on your business. And with this article, we will talk through tips and guidelines in optimizing your warehouse for small businesses.
1. Use of Vertical Shelves
Vertical shelves are a collection of stacked shelves with uniform space between them usually comes in glass, wood, and metal. Some of them are used in groceries and department stores to display their products and store their commodities in their warehouses. And if your storage space is tall enough, you can install a few vertical shelves in them.
We recommend the shelves be made of metal, just like metal garage storage shelves to ensure that the shelves are strong and durable enough to handle the weight of your commodities. These metal garage storage shelves can also come with a cover for your commodities that have a much higher value or important equipment for safekeeping.
2. Know Your Space
In small-scale businesses, not everyone can afford a separate warehouse to store their commodities since there are not a lot of goods to be stored. So they tend to use a spare room or small area to house them, but it doesn’t mean that if it is small, the attention spent on it is small as well. Information regarding the room’s space should also be important. The dimensions of the room, the position of the doors and windows, ventilation, and more, can give you enough details to come up with a decision.
3. Make a Floor/Room plan
Even though space is smaller compared to large-scale warehouses, it is very important to have a floor plan or room plan. It may seem unnecessary because of the size of the warehouse, but it is a very important aspect in optimizing the space given. You can organize and make an efficient plan for you to access the room and its content, such as pathing, positioning of commodities, and lighting.
You may be thinking, “What does it have to do in optimizing a warehouse?”, this planning can actually help you keep the room as efficient as possible. Pathing provides a simpler way of accessing your goods in the warehouse, and lighting can help you lessen the use of artificial light by using natural light and lightbulb positioning. The positioning of commodities can also help get an item faster in and out of the space by putting frequently replenished items closer to the door.
4. Organizing and Labeling your Shelves
It is already a given that organizing one’s items is very helpful in running a business. It provides a more continuous flow for stocking and storing goods and restocking them. Organize goods in a way that is easy to access, no overcrowding, labels are visible and simple to shelve.
Labeling is also important for locating certain items in your small warehouse since not everyone can remember their positions. It is also recommended to have a labeling system in your warehouse, which can be as a number or color scheme. You can also make it simpler for those new to this and use words instead.
5. Cleaning
It is important to keep in mind to maintain the warehouse’s cleanliness, including it to be dust-free. Removing any debris or trash that is scattered to ensure that there are no safety hazards when accessing the room. It can also make spaces to occupy within the warehouse instead of being occupied by trash and unnecessary materials. Accumulation of dust can also be detrimental to one’s business since it can damage certain types of goods and can also be a health hazard to people who have respiratory problems. We can avoid these types of scenarios by regular cleaning and proper ventilation of the room. In some cases, there are a few ventilation systems in the market wherein it automatically removes dust from a room.
6. Keeping A Record of Your Inventory.
One way of being organized is having an inventory or record for your warehouse. Even though yours is small, it doesn’t change the fact that keeping a record of what goes in and out of your warehouse helps you monitor your products. With the data from your inventory, you can be able to make other sets of decisions that would help the efficiency of your shop, such as purchasing goods for restocking. Keeping a record also minimizes confusion on the number of products available and theft of goods by employees.
7. Don’t Sacrifice Price for Quality
The last thing you don’t want to do with your warehouse is to cut corners and purchase equipment of lower quality. You need to purchase quality equipment and fixtures to ensure that these things can handle the work and carry out their designed purpose. It is also to remove possible scenarios such as damage to goods, accidents, or even death.
Conclusion
These seven guidelines should help you raise the efficiency and quality of how you manage your warehouses. You need to put in mind that these tips don’t mean that it should be done quickly and all at once. Changes take time and determination, and it doesn’t really hurt if you start slowly. Also, having goals in mind for you and your business can go a long way. You also need to remember that not everything in this article can be applied to your particular scenario, thus the decision is still in your hands.
