Tight spaces: Eight consultants offer ideas on how you can make the most of the space in your warehouse or DC

Here are 10 space-saving ideas from materials handling consultants who know a thing or two about getting the most from an existing footprint.

By Bob Trebilcock, Editor at Large -- Modern Materials Handling, 4/2/2008

As the cost of land, labor and energy climbs, making the most of your existing space is more important than ever. Here are 10 space-saving ideas from materials handling consultants who know a thing or two about getting the most from an existing footprint.

1. Install case flow lanes above pallet flow pick modules. A common pick module configuration is one or more levels of pallet flow rack that faces a conveyor or travel aisle for case picking. The height of each level is typically two or more feet greater than the height of the product in the flow lanes. To use this space, install case flow lanes above the height of the product on the pallet flow rack. Adding a level of case flow in the air space above pallet flow rack not only increases space utilization, it also enhances productivity by allowing the operator to make more picks on each trip down the aisle. 

2. Create reserve storage near receiving and shipping docks. Warehouses often designate large areas for staging inbound and outbound loads near the docks. Instead, use that space for reserve storage. That way, inbound inventory can be putaway directly from a truck, and outbound orders can be picked within 20 or 30 feet of the docks. Either way, you recapture space and reduce travel time. 

3. Make use of the space above inbound and outbound staging areas. One easy to implement tip for warehouses with conventional pallet racking is to extend the racks out over the dock areas. The floor positions under the rack would continue to be used as staging positions but the rack positions would be available for product storage. It has the additional advantage of putting more products closer to the dock to minimize operator travel during picking and putaway.

 4. Reconfigure pallet racks to better fit the product stored in them. In most warehouses, many pallets of product would fit into pallet rack openings half the height of the location they are currently stored in. By reducing the height of a group of pallet racks, additional levels can be added, resulting in more storage locations.  

5. Maintain a minimal (1-3 days) inventory of cartons for shipping and packaging of products. Find a local supplier who is willing to hold inventory for you and deliver on short notice. 

6. Optimize pallet patterns. Selecting the right pallet pattern for each item, depending on the case size, makes a significant difference in how well the available pallet cube is used. Better use of the pallet cube reduces space requirements.  

7. Perform a slotting analysis. Don't assign pick facings that hold months' worth of sales. Instead, utilize pick-from-reserve concepts where no primary pick face is assigned for slow-moving product.  

8. Replace floor stack lanes with drive-in rack if the ceiling height allows more levels than can be supported with stacked pallets. For instance, if product stack height is limited due to the package rigidity to three levels and ceiling height would allow four or more levels, drive-in or drive-through racking would enable taller stack heights.  

9. Utilize the full depth of reserve locations. When it comes to decked racks, a storage location that appears full from the front may have space behind for storage. If a single SKU is designated per location, look to see if the size of the location can be reduced. If SKUs are co-mingled within a location, evaluate if the space could hold more inventory.  

10. Use technology. Space utilization can usually be improved by 5 to 10% just by implementing a low-level warehouse management system (WMS) to direct putaway operators to the right type of storage locations for product. 

You can read more of our space savings best practices.

To read even more, pick up a copy of Gross & Associates book How to Save Warehouse Space, which can be ordered online. And be sure to share with us any space saving tips of your own.