5 Tips to Increase Storage Capacity in Your Warehouse

Warehouses are key elements in the supply chain. They store goods and have clear protocols for quick order picking and loading goods into trucks. With the increased pressure of online shopping, retailers demand warehouses to have more fast-selling items available for quick deliveries. Without expanding the actual storage space, here are some smart ways to increase the storage capacity, using modern reusable plastic containers and pallets.

1. Create Vertical Racks for Pallets

Racks for plastic pallets are available in many configurations, suitable to any kind of material handling procedures: first in first out, last in first out, etc. These vertical racks can go as high as the ability of automated machine arms to extend and safely grab hold of a pallet. However, many warehouses still do not make the most of all the usable vertical space.

This is the case where manual labor is still used for loading and unloading merchandize. Thus, as a first step, your warehouse needs to embrace automation and then make the most of its abilities, including the safe handling of reusable plastic containers and pallets at great height.

2. Switch to Foldable Packaging Materials

Large foldable containers and pallet boxes are among the must-have packaging materials for warehouses if you want to increase storage capacity. When they are not filled with products, the walls of these containers are collapsed down on the base, reducing the volume of the packaging unit by up to 70%. This means that you can drastically reduce the area assigned for storing empty packages.It will also optimize your transportation costs on the return journey of the empty packages, as they will also take less space in the trailer. And you do not have to worry about compromising on strength and reliability. Foldable containers have the same resistance to intense use and loading capacity as rigid containers.

3. Increasing Storage Density on Racks

Many warehouse racks are not filled to capacity, because the operators use mismatched packaging materials. One of the main benefits of reusable plastic containers and pallets is the fact that they have standard footprints. This means that they fit together perfectly on racks, without empty gaps between them.

As professional packaging producers, the Logistic Packaging team can attest to the significant increase in warehouse storage capacity by eliminating these gaps. Some of our clients managed up to 15% increase in storage density per rack shelf, simply by switching to EURO plastic pallets or EURO stackable boxes.

4. Improve Inventory Management

Obsolete inventory is a major liability for any warehouse. It is no longer fit for sale, as it exceeded its maximum shelf life and it also takes up valuable storage space.

There are several solutions for fixing this issue:

• implementing a modern warehouse management system
• training employees to follow FIFO, LIFO or whatever rules you apply for order picking
• using label holders that protect the labels from damage and allow employees to identify merchandize with ease
• planning inventories according to sales cycles and variations in demand.

By reducing obsolete or excess inventories, you can free up space in the warehouse and use it for storing fast-selling goods.

5. Add Half-Pallet Storage Locations

Half-pallets or retail-ready pallets are extremely useful for order picking. Practically, once the warehouse employees load the products on these lightweight pallets, the packing unit can be transported directly to the store aisle, without unloading the products.

The half-pallet storage area can double up as order picking area, freeing up space for other storage and material handling activities.

Reach out to the Logistic Packaging team for more advice and a selection of reusable plastic containers and pallets to help you increase warehouse storage space. Send us an email to discuss your packaging and logistics needs with our experts!

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