Warehouses play an integral aspect of any company handling or manufacturing goods. It is always a good idea to maximize the operation of the warehouse so you can store as many items as possible in the most optimum space. Without utilizing space efficiently, it can cause unnecessarily long travel times within the warehouse, restricted movements and replenishment make take multiple actions to complete.

On the other hand, with improved space utilization, you can keep inventory visible and easy to find, which can go a long way in meeting customer satisfaction. Take a look at our suggestions below on improving your warehousing efficiency and space utilization.

The starting point for any warehouse improvement project is to thoroughly understand the current set up. Analyze and thoroughly understand the current layout and rack configuration and how it ties in with the flow of work. This refers to how the layout and rack configuration complement or creates bottlenecks in the slotting, picking, putaway, inventory management, packing, and shipping. Examine the effect of the current set up during peak and off-peak seasons to come up with a comprehensive report on the merits and demerits of the current set up.

Floorspace is not the only consideration in your industrial warehouse. Study the entire space as well to determine how it can be best utilized. Consider column spacing, stacking height and the overall process flow. This will help you determine how well the characteristics of the warehouse can match your space needs. Take a look at your vertical space and how much is usable so you can improve on space utilization.

Organize departments in the warehouse appropriately where there’s a restriction on clear height. This also means you can also avoid unused overhead space. Departments like packing and shipping, which do not require high ceilings, can do well in such areas. On the other hand, departments that utilize high ceilings, such as storage, can improve your utilization of storage space.

If you need to add a modular warehouse office to improve your working space, consider ancillary offices that offer a conducive environment. Our property at 2 Soon Wing Road is an 8-storey industrial building that offers warehouses for rent– suitable for B1 clean and light industrial operations, warehousing and ancillary offices. It is located in the same neighbourhood as popular locations such as Kallang Pudding Road and Genting Lane, with accessibility via bus stops and train stations (namely Mattar MRT, Aljunied MRT and Potong Pasir MRT). Units range from 400 to 1,100 sqft, equipped with aircon, lights and window. There are 3 loading bays in the property, as well as in-house canteen, 24-hour access & security guard and shower facilities available on every floor.

How wide are the aisle widths in the warehouse? Too wide and it can waste vital floor space. But, aisles that are too narrow will interfere with equipment movement and efficiency, which reduces the warehouse’s productivity significantly. Design the required minimum width to match your handling equipment used so it doesn’t compromise your daily operations.

When using containers or slots to hold items being stored, avoid the ‘one size fits all’ approach. It can result in plenty of wasted space inside the containers before it is stored on the racks. When you have items with greatly varying sizes, match the size of the item to the right-sized pick slot location and determine the quantity you need them so you can maximize the utilization of the picking slot cube. The goal is to get the most picks with the least amount of travelling.

Warehouse space utilization works by measuring your inventory storage capacity to determine efficiency. But if you need to scale up your operations and need bigger space, our property at Space @ Tampines is suitable for B1 warehouse and B2 clean usage, with 3 units available for rent ranging from 1,247 to 13,671 sqft. Located at 18 Tampines Industrial Crescent, it has close proximity to neighboring industrial estates in Changi, Seletar and Tampines – ideal for companies looking for nearby business space solutions. It also has a convenient location next to major retailers like IKEA, Giant Hypermart and Courts Megastore. Facilities in the property include 6 loading bays with dock levellers, wide ramp-up, 40-footer accessibility, heavy vehicle parking, 24-hour access & CCTV and season parking.