How to cope with a rapidly expanding Warehouse Business

expanding warehouse business

There is no denying that a rapidly expanding warehouse business is a good thing. It indicates business is booming and handled adequately; you can be well on your way to bigger and better things if you can execute the expansion properly.

It is naive to think that you can grow into a more extensive warehouse or adapt your current warehouse to accommodate the increase in sales. However, disorganisation and dropping the ball can lead to losing customers just as quickly as you gained them.

For this reason, all logistics need to be carefully organised when considering a warehouse move or expansion plans to ensure you are meeting your current demands and obligations and allowing yourself the opportunity to grow effectively and the role forklift trucks can play in the effectively expanding warehouse.

    Managing Larger Quantities of Stock

    As your business grows, handling larger stock quantities to fulfil orders is one of the first issues you will face.

    You will first need to address your storage and organisational structure to enable all stock to be housed in a way that makes sense for packing orders and to avoid damage. It also needs to be accessible and moved around the facility quickly.

    Forklifts can facilitate more accessible arrangements of stock and the reorganisations of your warehouse to hold increased stock levels and allow staff to move inventory around quickly and pack orders more efficiently than by hand. If you aren't ready to commit to purchasing forklifts for your warehouse, you can look into lease purchasing a forklift to assist with expansion plans.

    Take some time to address the layout of your warehouse and how you can rearrange your shelving and storage areas to allow workers to move freely around your warehouse, be it to pack orders or organise stock levels or use forklifts for material handling, amongst other things.

    Moving Larger Orders

    As your expansion continues, you will likely be experiencing an increase in the size of the orders you are handling daily. If this sounds familiar, you will appreciate the complexity of compiling larger orders and ensuring everything is where it needs to be.

    In the first case, hiring a forklift can assist you in finding your feet as you work through your rapid growth to ensure you are meeting demands without losing trust and confidence from your customers and, indeed, your suppliers, who might be wary of your ability to cope with the increased demand you are facing.

    Ensure accountability and checks are performed to avoid missing items and damaged products from improper handling. Customer service is key to focusing on how you approach packing larger orders will afford you better results.

    Moving to Bigger Premises

    You may need to consider a move to a larger warehouse. Since 2015 there has been a 32% increase in demand for larger warehouse spaces, and once where warehouses would sit empty, they are now thriving, with many being sold before they are fully completed.

    Acting fast to secure your new premise allows you to strike while the iron is hot, and compiling a practical moving checklist can allow you to remain operational. At the same time, the transition occurs to avoid massive disruption.

    Short-term forklift hire is available to assist you with moving the stock from your existing warehouse and into the newer, more prominent location easier, thus reducing downtime and delays to orders.

    In conclusion, ensuring you approach your expanding warehouse business methodically allows you to accommodate your rapid growth without damaging your reputation and increase your capacity to meet demand. Utilising the tools at your disposal, such as efficient storage solutions, processing and delivery procedures, and using forklift trucks will help you to do so easier.