If you’re responsible for running a warehouse, at some point you’ve probably experienced a struggle for space. Your requests for more capacity are brushed aside or, if the decision is yours to make, somehow other priorities always come first.
Perhaps a walk-through reveals pallet spaces vacated by something just despatched, or maybe some partially empty racking is found. Looks like the warehouse wasn’t as full as it seemed after all. Somehow, you get the job done – until the next time.
No matter how your warehouse is configured, you won’t be able to put away goods-in receipts indefinitely without performing consolidation or relocation of existing stock. If space is expensive relative to other costs, moving that stock around might make sense for a while.
It all comes down to finding the right balance between utilising any remaining available space and ensuring overall productivity. Wherever that balance is struck, eventually, even with a lot of time spent on consolidation and relocation, your warehouse will be inescapably full.
Full-Warehouse Implications
There are real costs associated with operating a warehouse beyond working capacity. When staff are forced to work around stock, move stock to reach other items, or search through stock looking for equipment, productivity falls.
When stock is left clogging aisles, blocking loading docks, or even in the way of production, not only can productivity go off a cliff, but sheer lack of capacity can even start to impinge on the safety of your workforce.
Additional Space Options
Assuming you’ve already optimised storage configuration, for example, with racking, you have a few options at your disposal:
Off-site storage
Off-site storage can seem attractive in the short term. With rates like £1.50 per pallet per week, it doesn’t sound like much, but if you’re storing hundreds of pallets and the problem is so ingrained that the weeks become months or even years, costs soon mount.
That’s before considering the location of your off-site storage. If it’s a few hundred yards down the road, movements shouldn’t add much in terms of time or resources; if it’s several miles – or even several dozen miles – away, movements could end up costing an arm and a leg and causing serious logistical headaches.
Relocating
Relocating might seem like a tempting alternative, but if you’re only part way through a lease with no break clause on the horizon, relocating the entire business won’t be an option, even before factoring in the sheer upheaval and expense of a move – or whether suitable premises can be found anywhere near your current workforce.
If you own your building and suitable land can be found nearby, then a purpose-built place might be an option, but it’s not going to go up overnight, leaving you in the same boat for what could be several years in the interim.
Temporary warehouses
Enter the temporary warehouse. Without the requirement for foundations, a temporary building can be mounted to the surface of an existing yard, invariably without groundwork. Utilising a strong, yet lightweight frame and simple construction methods ensures delivery in weeks, installation in as little as a few days, and substantial savings over a traditional steel-framed warehouse.
With a lifespan measured in decades yet the option to move, remove or extend the structure with relative ease, a temporary warehouse provides a swift and cost-effective alternative to moving or extending without the hidden cost and inconvenience of off-site storage.
Available to rent from just 12 months, costs compare favourably in comparison with off-site storage, with the added convenience of the storage being… well, on-site. Over periods of 2-3 years or more, a temporary building really begins to deliver far superior return on investment, whether purchased or via a finance lease, the latter typically available over 2-5 years, with minimal costs to own at the end of the term.
The common perception of a flimsy canvas-clad tent offering little extra capacity belies the longevity and versatility of a modern temporary building. Available in secure steel cladding, or fully insulated with an inflatable thermal roof that can even be fleece lined, with insulation properties not dissimilar from a traditional steel-framed building, the running costs of a Roder temporary building are kept to a minimum.
Meanwhile, with standard eave heights of up to 8.2m and clear spans reaching 40m as standard, our demountable, extendable temporary buildings deliver the capacity you need, when and where you want it, without breaking the bank.
Contact us here or call 01487 840 840 and let’s talk about getting you the space you need, quickly – and cost-effectively.
