Organizing your storage on paper is just that, one dimensional. We will work alongside you with our process for optimizing your new facility...in technicolor! We follow the load, lift, and space process which gives us 99% accuracy when selecting storage methods for you. But there’s always that 1% for compromise for efficiencies’ sake...I’ll cover that in detail later. Let’s begin.
Our starting point is a thorough analysis of the loads that you’re storing.
How many pallets do you have to store? How many more do you expect over the next 5 years? Of those pallets, how many different SKU’s are among them? What size, weight, fire classification, shelf-life, etc. are they? Which are your fast movers...slow movers? Are the warehouse employees picking boxes or pulling pallets? I could take an afternoon asking these types of questions but I think you get the picture: We’re thorough.
Next we examine the lift truck you’re using.
What type is it - a sit-down counterbalance, standup counterbalance, a reach truck, or a turrect truck? What’s it’s capacity? It’s capacity, at height? It’s mast size and fork length...and baseleg out-to-out? Right-angle stacking aisle requirement? I’ll confess that our experience in the forklift sales industry gives us a leg up amongst others in figuring out exactly what you need, but I digress.
Finally we examine the space.
How deep, wide, and high is it? Where are the floor drains and HVAC as obstacles? How are the building columns telling us to orient the rows? What are the implications of the current lighting and sprinklers in light of our design idea? Is this building in a seizmic zone?? I almost always require a site visit before creating a design. There are always nuances in reality that never show up on paper. I hope this gives you a guide.
What I didn’t mention this time is whether you need a permit or not. Specifically, a high-pile storage permit. As a licensed General Contractor for North and South Carolina, Coleman Service & Supply will help you navigate this often complicated and confusing process with ease. It’s our specialty.
Until next time!