Last year, the average rent paid per square foot for warehouse and distribution real estate was approximately $8.84 per square foot. So, you might be able to choose between a couple of coffee shop lattes or an additional square foot of industrial space.
Whether or not you crave caffeine, paying to expand your warehouse footprint probably isn't as appealing as reclaiming the space you already pay for. That's where industrial shelving systems can give you a boost.
Some businesses pay to own and maintain their warehouses. Others rent from a third-party commercial warehouser. But in either setting, warehouse owners are looking at shelving solutions that range from traditional static shelving to mobile storage systems.
Mobile storage systems have one or more moving aisles that open and close where and when needed. Simply put, they can cut down on both the amount of space required to store materials and the time it takes to access them.
Advantages of Mobile Industrial Shelving
Your business can store and secure all of the same materials — different sizes, shapes, and weights — as it did before. Yet, with mobilized industrial shelving systems, retrieval can become easier and safer when compared to traditional, static shelving.
Mobilized (whether manual or powered) systems can:
- Lower production costs
- Increase output
- Drive revenues
- Improve productivity
- Maximize space
Let's take a further look at each of these benefits:
Lower Production Costs
Lower production costs come from replacing the conventional static racking that is wasting significant amounts of space that could be used for storage. By cutting back on multiple space-consuming aisles, and optimizing access to your materials, tools, or products, you can optimize your supply chain logistics to reduce production costs.
Increase Output
That static industrial shelving may have been taking up floor space that could be repurposed for an additional production line or other activities that provide a direct value add. Added production space, for instance, is obviously going to help increase your business output.
Drive Revenues
Reclaiming as much as 50% of your existing storage space for revenue-generating activities without expanding into new space can also drive revenue gains. Add another product or production line or establish an entirely new profit center with the flexibility of mobile shelving — without having to break new ground.
Investing in a storage solution proved a better solution for a major gas and wind turbine manufacturing site. A Lead Test Specialist at the turbine facility said the initial cost of the system was considerably less than the cost of an entire new warehouse. “ActivRAC basically runs without any instances of damage, maintenance, or anything,” said Mark. “It just keeps running.”
Improved Productivity
Mobilized industrial shelving systems enhance the organization of raw materials, work-in-process, finished goods, and essential support materials. With improved access workers can cover less ground to do their jobs, which reduces wasted time and increases efficiency. All shelf faces are accessible and can accommodate existing fork trucks and pallet racks, so this mobile solution doesn’t slow down your picking rate either.
Maximize Space
Ultimately, mobile storage solutions maximize the use of warehouse space by saving up to 50% of storage space without disrupting processes with complicated and costly expansion plans. With the ActivRAC system’s racking space contained within a smaller footprint, you can be much more intentional about how all the valuable floor space is utilized.
VOXXHirschmann, which manufactures vehicle headrests to be outfitted with DVD players, turned to mobile industrial shelving to save nearly 25% of floor space. They were also able to do away with the lifts they had needed to reach the top of its 14-foot vertical industrial shelving in the past.
Challenge Accepted for Storage Innovation
Industrial shelving systems can be customized and reconfigured to meet changing needs. You can also cut other warehouse costs (such as lighting and cooling) with a radio frequency (RF) remote function which enables opening or closing of clear, unoccupied aisles as needed.
When Web Industries, which produces carbon fiber composites used in the manufacture of planes, wanted to increase their products' shelf life, they turned to ActivRAC. However, the composites had to be stored at temperatures of -10 degrees F. The resulting solution was made to withstand cold temperatures, while still doubling the capacity of their old freezer.
ActivRAC mobilized storage system carriages have a load capacity of 7,000 to 30,000 pounds per rack. Select from manual, mechanical assist, or electrical-powered mobile shelving. And don’t worry about the electronics failing and leaving you without access to critical products. ActivRAC solutions feature multiple synchronized motors and a power override unit for use in the event of a system or power failure.
Improve efficiency and save space by replacing traditional industrial shelving with a mobile shelving system. Avoid the costs and complications of finding a new warehouse space. Simply reclaim the space you already have to increase productivity, amp up output, and achieve the many benefits outlined in this article.
Contact a Patterson Pope expert today about the best high-density mobile storage solution for your business.
