Go ahead and remodel!

Shortly before Christmas and in the following winter months, many industrial and retail companies are a little quieter. Managing directors can make good use of this time to put logistics and warehouse management to the test in terms of functionality, capacity utilization and optimization options. "I know from experience that many entrepreneurs shy away from this point. Mostly out of fear that such changes will take too long, disrupt operations in some way and that eternal emergency solutions will then hinder efficient daily operations," explains Jürgen Effner, Managing Director of TOPREGAL GmbH. He reveals how these dangers can be avoided and how a warehouse redesign can be carried out quickly and profitably.

When a warehouse redesign is worthwhile

"Redesigning a warehouse does not necessarily mean major conversion measures," says the professional: "However, changing customer requirements, new products in the portfolio or other circumstances are criteria according to which the size, structure and type of a warehouse should definitely be redesigned in order to ensure optimal, smooth and therefore efficient work processes in the long term." The professional advises asking the following questions from time to time:

Do warehouse employees always find all goods directly?
Are order picking and shunting in the warehouse quick and easy?
Is the storage capacity sufficient for the quantity of items in stock?
Are the existing racks suitable for the optimum storage method for the goods?

"If the answer to even one of these questions is 'no', a warehouse conversion should be considered," says the warehouse planning and construction expert. The reasons are quite simple. If processes in the warehouse are complicated or slow, this usually leads to various problems. Time delays that stress employees and, in the worst case, are passed on to the customer. Lost time and cumbersome processes automatically increase the stress level - errors occur. If the warehouse is not properly sorted, the loading and removal of goods is still done manually due to the type of racking, but could also be done by forklift, or stocks of the same products are in different storage locations because there is no longer sufficient capacity at the point of origin, warehouse management becomes inefficient. If customer orders are delayed due to such issues, this becomes an image and sales problem in the long term.

Clicked - delivered - set up - done

These aspects can be adapted with very simple measures. TOPREGAL has developed modular racking systems for this purpose and, in addition to pallet racking and long span racking, also offers kanban, cantilever and vertical racks as well as tyre, barrel and special variants such as bicycle or multipurpose racking. "Thanks to our range, we can also supply the picking or finishing station for individual customer projects if required," explains Effner. The company draws the practical value for its customers from its own experience. "As a partner for warehouse and operational set-up issues, we operate several warehouses ourselves. So we test our products for our customers ourselves and provide advice based on real-life practical experience. In addition, thanks to our large stock, we can still deliver even at peak times, such as just before the turn of the year, and sometimes, depending on the customer's location, "between the years"." The racks can be easily put together online using a configurator, and the team will be happy to provide individual advice if you have any questions. Delivery within the UK usually takes 1-3 working days. TOPREGAL also supplies storage solutions within the EU and internationally. The company recently opened several locations in the USA.

Warehouse Logistics