5 Warehouse Storage Types that Offer Efficient Use of Space

Warehouse management is a critical aspect to ensure flawless operations. From storing unpacked items to dispatching delivery orders, warehouse storage is vital in improving operational efficiency and productivity for most businesses.

Therefore, strategically designing a warehouse is essential and can be time-consuming. However, it saves effort and reduces complications for warehouse managers later on.

And quite naturally, a warehouse will provide better working efficiency when the storage systems are adequately placed, having logical sequencing for easy access to the stored items. So, in this post, we will talk about some critical warehouse storage types, and how they can add to the efficiency of your warehouse and productivity of your staff.

Warehouse Storage Types for Efficient Space Usage

There are different types of warehouse storage systems, and it must be noted that only some storage systems will suit your working style. It starts with your warehouse floor plan that identifies the critical elements on the warehouse floor. Only then can you pick the correct type of storage for your warehouse.

Typically, you can pick the types of storage systems in the warehouse by analyzing the following:

• The types of products you store
• Available space inside the warehouse
• Size and shape of products
• Number of offices and mobile equipment like Forklifts on the warehouse floor

Therefore, you must start with a thorough understanding of your floor plan and only then proceed to pick the relevant types of warehouse storage systems, which include:

1. Static Shelving

Static shelves work as permanent storage because they are immovable. Typically, static shelves store lightweight items that weigh up to a few hundred pounds. Generally, static shelves are used for storing items that are continuously replaced.

Static shelves are used for lighter and relatively smaller item. They work with hand-placed items that might require more staff and workforce.

However, static shelves guarantee the safety of smaller items and provide a more efficient means to store the items sequentially. Since the system isn’t fully automated with static shelving, it provides room for adjusting shelf items and optimizing for more space. The touch of human intelligence makes it flexible for adapting to different storage needs inside a warehouse.

The advantage of this type of shelving is that you can work with minimal horizontal space and add more vertical tiers. It’s useful for small warehouses where mobility isn’t the primary objective. So, if you deal with lightweight and small items, static shelving could be the right solution for improving spatial efficiency inside your warehouse.

2. Mobile Shelving

Mobile shelves feature a traction system that makes them flexible for mobility-related warehouse operations. Mobile shelves are ideal if you want compact storage for your warehouse items. For instance, you could pack a mobile shelf and store it in a place that isn’t regularly accessed. It means mobile shelves are great for storing bulk items that don’t sell out daily.

Mobile shelving allows for more space in smaller areas. Generally, mobile shelving features level trackways built on to the warehouse floor, making it easier to move around. But since mobile shelving requires pre-planned trackways, you must decide whether to incorporate mobile shelves during the floor plan design phase.

It also means you must decide on locking mechanisms to keep your shelving in one place when unused. Moreover, mobile shelving systems can be manual or mechanical so that you can pick any of them based on your warehouse needs.

It’s the kind of storage you would want at the back of a retail store to make way for more inventory in busy and more populated areas of your warehouse.

3. Pallet Racking

Pallet racking systems are one of the most commonly used warehouse storage types used inside warehouses, especially in those that have inventory that frequently moves. Pallet racks have a wooden design, but many modern manufacturers have now introduced metallic and plastic-based pallet racks.

Pallet racking is used to handle large inventory items stored in boxes. Typically, pallets are used with forklifts, depending on the weight and size of the racked items. Moreover, other automation systems and mechanisms handle pallet racks inside a warehouse.

One of the best parts about pallet racking is that they are flexible and come in many types. So, you can think of pallet racking as an umbrella term that holds many further types, such as:

• Cantilever Racking
• Coil Racking
• Carton flow racking
• Push Back Racking
• Narrow Aisle Racking
• Double deep racking
• Drive-in Racking
• Drive-through Racking
• Shuttle Racking
• Vertical Racking
• High-bay Racking
• Mobile Racking

The choice of pallet racking mainly depends on the estimated size and weight of inventory items. In some cases, pallets may force you to modify your existing warehouse infrastructure, so picking the pallets wisely is critical.

Therefore, pallet racking works in most types of warehouse designs ranging from small to large warehouses with much-expected mobility. Suppose your warehouse stores bulky items, a pallet racking storage system is most suited for a space-efficient racking on your warehouse floor.

4. Multi-Tier Racking

Multi-Tier racking ensures you optimize your warehouse space by maximizing vertical space usage. It’s best suited for lighter and smaller units. They offer a flexible racking option for warehouse managers, allowing optional addition or removal of racking tiers.

Therefore, based on your current needs, you can constantly adjust your racks to maximize productivity inside the warehouse. Typically, multi-tier racking works with manual operations, so it’s unsuitable for forklifts and similar machinery operations.

But it allows the warehouse staff to organize every tier strategically to ensure more straightforward and quicker access to the items when needed.

5. Mezzanine Flooring

Mezzanine flooring is about adding a new floor altogether inside your warehouse. Therefore, it is budget intensive but can yield substantial free space inside the warehouse. Mezzanine floors are best suited for warehouses that have different offices.

Effectively, a mezzanine floor is like a second or third floor, built over your warehouse floor to add more space and improve mobility on the ground floor. 

Conclusion

While optimizing your warehouse with suitable storage systems, it’s also a good idea to take professional help from reliable names like Midwest Distribution. Based on your warehouse needs and operational nature, you can get customized warehouse storage types to maximize the storage capacity inside your warehouse. Moreover, you’ll get the best storage solutions suitable for your facility and inventory.