Your stockroom should be organized and neat like any other part of your business establishment. If you have an existing stockroom, you should consider improving it to maximize the space and make it easier for your employees to access stocks and products. Whether doing it on your own or working with a stockroom shelving company, it’s best to consider this simple guide.
The importance of an organized stockroom
A stockroom needs to be clean and organized, but this could be a daunting task if you don’t have a system. One remedy for such is stockroom shelving. You can improve your team member’s productivity and performance when this is done right. A tidy stockroom can simplify their day-to-day workflows, such as retrieving files or products. You only need to choose the correct shelving solutions to fit your business needs.
Choosing the right stockroom shelving solution
There are many shelving solutions for every kind of business, and choosing the right one is essential so you can get the most suitable for your space. Even if you bought the most expensive shelving solution, but it’s not ideal for your stockroom, it would be a waste of investment. Thus, you may want to consider these two steps when choosing the most suitable for your business:
1. Examine the space
Before you window shop for the storage solution, you must first identify if you need a racking or shelving solution. Racking is best for bulkier items requiring equipment, while shelving is built for smaller items. If shelving is what you need, consider the size of your stockroom, as shelving units also come in smaller dimensions.
2. Compare the shelving and racking options
You need to look at the different shelving and racking options to gauge the best one to better solve your storage and inventory management needs. Here are some of them:
- Longspan shelving: It’s best for more extensive stockrooms or warehouses because it’s built to maximize the space’s ceiling heights and wall spaces. You can install these shelves very high and stack them against walls while maintaining robustness and stability. Thus, you can stack multiple large items on each other or side by side because their vertical heights and horizontal spaces are perfect for such.
- Gondola shelving: While this solution is popular in retail, you can still choose it if it’s best for your stockroom because of its flexibility. Because of their cantilevered systems, you can move gondolas around and configure them quickly. They’re also lightweight and relatively broad but still robust. You can even use them to present products on either side because you can install them as part of an island system or onto the walls. You may consider this shelving solution if you want to easily access products or items in your stockroom because you can see what’s in it.
- Mobile shelving: You may also want mobile shelving for items you don’t frequently access. Mobile shelves are fixed to the floor but have a tracking system so you can move them along. They’re also best for reducing the space required because you’ll only need one aisle for multiple shelves. Moreover, mobile shelves are lockable so that you can store essential items such as documents.
- Filing cabinets: If your stockroom mainly consists of letters, papers, and documents, then filing cabinets will be a good choice. They’re typically steel cabinets with inside drawers and work by pulling the handles outwards.
- Wall shelving: For a stockroom that features displays for exhibitions, events, and retail, you may want to consider wall shelving. These can come as floating, glass, or twin slot shelves that are great for practicality and attractiveness. You can even choose ones that are quick to fit, simple to assemble, and ready-to-go wall shelves for smaller displays.
Benefits of stockroom shelving
Stockroom shelving offers excellent solutions to the storage requirements and space management of warehouses, retail stores, shops, offices, and small businesses. These are suitable if you want to make your storage system more convenient and accessible for merchandise and items. Instead of keeping your things in storage boxes or an empty room, you should opt for shelving solutions for the following benefits:
1. Easier storage and retrieval system
Shelving solutions can automate manual retrieval and storage processes. Instead of making your employees spend time looking for items or products on a pile of boxes, a shelving solution can eliminate such. You can easily install these shelves or racks that your employees can easily pull or push when storing and retrieving inventory, which can be a good part of your inventory management. Labeling each shelf can also make this process much more manageable.
2. Saves more space
All businesses need to maximize the use of space, especially when storing items. You can use your area more efficiently by correctly choosing the right shelving solution for your stockroom. If your stockroom has high ceilings, you can go for long-span shelving as they’re suitable for maximizing vertical spaces. Most importantly, your room will look more organized. You can neatly stack products or items on these shelves instead of piling them on the floor.
3. Customizable
You can also customize your shelves depending on your storage management needs. You may want to hide or display your products, and shelving solutions have different features to complement your needs. Some of which are as follows:
- Youthful: Some shelving solutions are appealing and fun, making them perfect for a young audience, especially when displaying items for showing or viewing.
- Multi-order: This feature is best if you have high-volume stores that will store more than ten items.
- Single order: This may be better if you have a small business, especially if you only need to display or store one or two products.\
4. Durable
Shelving solutions from reputable companies can withstand extreme temperatures, forklift impacts, and daily wear and tear from order pickers. They can also function better when reinforced with scratch-proof paint.
Conclusion
You can make your stockroom aesthetically appealing and organized by installing shelves. These can keep products or items safe while maximizing the space of a room. Most importantly, your employees can save time going around in circles because, with shelves, they can easily store and retrieve items from your stockroom.
