Finding the right configuration for product storage is more a matter of finding the patterns in how products enter and exit a warehouse than figuring out how to fit differently sized pallets together. Depending on your suppliers, any number of solutions (and even a mix) can help you utilize limited space as effectively as possible. If space is quickly filling up and you need to start reorganizing how you store products, here are a couple of questions to ask yourself:
- Do a lot of orders revolve around the same limited selection of popular products? If you're packing the same products over and over again, then you can afford to store more supply. You can also block stack the products with pallets stacked both deep and high, in a devoted area so you can regularly replace the open pallet. But if your orders are far more varied, then you need to keep open bins in a contained space with their extra pallets in a separate area of the floor. You want to minimize unnecessary movement, both while packing and while replenishing product.
- Do you have expired stock? Run a report through your software to see if there are any SKUs that haven't been purchased in a while. Unless they're seasonal goods (and sometimes even if they are), they're wasting valuable space. Confirm with your suppliers and your retailers to make sure the product is still available for purchase.
Warehouse work best when there's a lot of movement, but only if that movement is kept efficient. Create separate stacking patterns for popular goods and less purchased merchandise, and look into removing unwanted stock entirely.
