The Key to Choosing the Right Warehouse Equipment

When you think of the term ‘Warehousing’, you wouldn’t be blamed if you imagine a large room with boxes stacked in a rather haphazard manner. However, think again. Warehousing not only entails space, it requires proper organizing. The right warehouse equipment is paramount to setting up materials properly and not wasting any valuable real estate. Often we end up stacking things up without keeping space management in mind and that leads to wastage of space; eventually leading to the need to acquire more space and costs which become rather unaffordable.

The first need of a Warehouse manager is to know what they are likely to store. When they have that information, choosing the required equipment is the second most important need. Equipment varies from racks, shelves, lockers, guardrails, boxes and more. You need to take stock of your inventory and issue instructions (or do it yourself, if you’re a hands-on kind of person) on what material goes into what kind of storage and is easily retrievable. The reason behind this is that if you’re the kind of person who stores things on an ‘as-it-happens’ basis, you are likely to end up taking unnecessary space and storing important material in some derelict cranny of your warehouse.

The next immensely important factor is cost. Aesthetics should really be the last thing on your mind here as this isn’t where you would be having any business lunches. What your warehousing equipment would cost you needs to be analyzed and quantified. You must also remember that something that is cheap doesn’t necessarily mean low-cost. You must look for the right balance of cost, quality and accessibility. Often we know of people being penny wise and pound foolish. They buy cheap equipment in order to save, but end up spending much more when the quality fails. Time also matters. You need to find a company that will deliver on time. Delays lead to scattered storage, things piling up and before you know it, you have a bigger problem than what you began with.

Due to the niche nature of the industry, it is not usual that a company that provides warehouse equipment would really advertise on a large scale. Going through the phonebook to find one can be quite tedious. In such scenarios, the internet can be of real help. A simple look through a company’s website can give you an indication of its product range with pictures, clientele, longevity and reliability. Some companies also provide custom solutions, tailor-made to suit your requirements. Websites have simple “Request for Quote”, or “Request for Information” forms that can be filled and have someone call you back. Or, if you’re the traditional sort, their contact details and address are always available in the internet or in the yellow pages from where you can get it and contact them directly and avail the services.