Shelving & Storage

Industrial Storage

At home, you can just put things in the cupboard and forget about them, but industrial storage is a different story. In a warehouse, you need quick access to potentially millions of products, and you can't let any one product block access to another. You also need to be able to store your inventory according to a system that lets you find items when you need them, and keep hazardous materials away from more benign ones.

All material handling rules stem from the same need: safety. That means you need a safety data sheet with all potentially hazardous materials. The sheet has to tell you how to handle it safely, the potential effects of exposure, it's environmental effects and any chemical or physical properties.

Industrial storage bins handle a wide variety of materials safely. Any bins that you use outside must feature UV protection so that they do not degrade when you expose them to the Sun. Other features to look for include easy stacking and tightly sealed lids. Warehouse bins and cabinets can also be for small parts storage and ready access. No matter what your needs are, make sure your bins are made from a material that doesn't react with its contents.

You can't just pile warehouse storage containers in the middle of the floor and be done with them. Not only is it wasteful of space, but it also blocks access to much of your inventory. A good racking solution gives you access to all three dimensions so you can organise your inventory and get it off the floor. The higher you stack things, the more important your racking system is. A good one can not only support the weight of all your products, but allow easy access from both sides at any level.

The first step to any solution is identifying the problem. For industrial storage, that means understanding what you need to store and the location you have available to store that inventory. Once you know both the area and height you have, you can consider how you want to arrange your storage, and whether you need ladders or forklifts to get at the higher levels.