Looking for Racking Solutions? Our top tips for organising and decluttering your business
Organisation is a key factor in any successful business, not just in terms of your business plan and team structure, but practically, as you organise your stock so it can be easily reached and categorised. All kinds of businesses can benefit from a good storage system, in particular, those with large warehouses or companies that hold a large amount of different kinds of stock.
It’s never too late to improve organisation, whether you’re a new business and want to give yourself the best start or you’re already established and in need of a better solution to make way for growth – whatever your situation is, you can find something that suits you.
So which solution is best? With the number of options available making a decision can feel a little overwhelming. To get you informed on all you need to know, read on for a detailed overview of the different racking solutions available.
From storage racks to storage shelves: What kind of storage solution is best?
First things first, think about what you’ll be storing. Are you holding heavy stock? Are you able to store things on top of eachother or do you need separate shelves? Below, we explain some of the most common storage options that are suitable for a wide range of needs.
Clear labels are a great way of organising your stock, especially when it comes to doing stock take. There are many different ways you can utilise labelling: colour coding, numbering, barcodes or simple stock names can make it a lot easier for stock to be found. Colour coding, for example, is a great way of categorising large amounts of stock. Labels can be used to separate stock by type, season, colour or size, reducing time spent looking for products and making the overall running of your business a lot more efficient.
A popular choice of storage, shelves and pallet shelves can maximise the vertical space in your warehouse or stock room. Keeping things in boxes will soon prove to be insufficient, instead, shelving will keep things well organised and safe. Paired with another solution, such as labelling, looking for items will be made a lot easier if everything is neatly stacked on shelves. It’s a good idea to keep popular items closer to hand, and come up with a floor plan so you know exactly where everything is.
Are you looking for a storage solution that will keep everything organised and in reach, but still looks tidy? Cupboards and metal cabinets could be the right choice for you. If you’re holding chemical or hazardous products, keeping them in cabinets could be the best way to store them. Whereas items stored in racking and shelving could have a risk of falling, closed cupboards could be more suitable for productivity and safety.
If you’re just starting out or your between premises, self-storage is a great storage way of organising your stock. Affordable and easy to use, new businesses will save money compared to using bigger warehouses, which may not be suitable for you at this stage. It’s always best to be on the cautious side when you start out, and by using self storage you can steadily grow your business without warehouse costs looming over you.
A mezzanine is a structure that is built halfway up the wall, creating a raised platform usually around the perimeter of a room. It does not count as one of the floors in a building, but is simply a way to maximise the space in a room, which can be used for storage. A mezzanine floor can double the available space to you within your warehouse, saving you money and time you would otherwise waste finding a new premises. They are a quick and easy to install solution, so you’ll have your new storage space in no time.
Easy tips for decluttering your business
●Keep on top of mess little and often, as this will stop huge piles of clutter building up which will take up valuable space and make the area unorganised. Have a bigger clear out perhaps twice a year, looking through documents and other items that you may have missed.
●Have a rota system for taking out rubbish and recycling, that way there’s no excuse for rubbish piling up where it shouldn’t. If your business produces a lot of waste, then a cage will make it easier to transport the rubbish to and from the bins.
●Encourage a paperless system to reduce the amount of files you have – this will also benefit the environment. Although it’s good to have paper copies of some documents, have a safe place to keep your files online will stop things going missing and looking messy. For the paper you do have, invest in a filing cabinet or plastic trays for each desk.
The benefits of categorising your stock in a racking system?
Although it may sound obvious, many business owners can run into serious problems simply because their stock room or warehouse is not organised properly. It’s always best to tackle this as soon as you can, as the longer you leave it the more your stock will expand and the job will require more time.
So, why is it so important to organise and declutter your business? Here we explain the top benefits of organising your stock.
As an employer, it’s your responsibility to make the working environment as safe as you can for you and your employees. Keeping stock on the floor means it can easily be tripped over, causing accidents and potentially ending in a lawsuit. Clear walkways and maintain an organised stock room to make it safer and easier to navigate.
If you are a retail or e-commerce business, and your stock is not properly organised, this will increase the chances of incorrect orders being sent out to customers. Persistent mistakes will not give a good impression to your clients or customers, in fact, this could result in a lack of repeat business, poor reviews and a bad reputation. A poor organisation system means staff may get confused or not make the effort to search through hundreds of boxes, and why should they? Install a shelving or racking system that will improve accuracy and make a big difference to your staff everyday.
How long would it take to find the right item in a bunch of disorganised mess? – Too long. Shelves make it easier to pack and store items so they can be easily reached and sent out as soon as possible. If your staff are wasting time looking for items that could be solved with some simple organisation, this takes time away from other important tasks. Efficiency is key, so always make sure the systems you have can help with this.
When things aren’t organised it makes it a lot harder to keep track of exactly what you’ve got, and when it comes to stock take you’re going to have a hard time completing this. Clear labels and suitable shelving or cabinets, make it easier to visually see what you’ve got and have a better idea of when you’re running low on a particular item.
Racking + Shelving: Providing storage solution in Northern Ireland and the UK
Here at Racking + Shelving , we specialise in storage solutions for a range of sectors. We understand how important it is to keep your business organised, and our storage system aims to help with just that. Our professional team will take care of the whole process, helping you find a solution that suits your needs, installing it and maintaining it in the future. From pallet shelves to mezzanine floors, we have it all. Get in touch today for more information.
