Opening a warehouse and offering industrial storage services is a great way to generate ongoing income. All you need are several manufacturing customers who use the facility for overflow storage and you will be sure to make a profit each month. To ensure everything remains organized, it pays to invest in a few essential pieces of equipment. Here are some examples to keep in mind.
- Storage Systems
Since you are in the business of storage, it makes sense to ensure you can accommodate whatever type of storage need your clients request. Pallet racks will work well for a portion of the space. Consider two and three-tired racks that allow you to make the most of vertical as well as horizontal storage space. Then the rack design is open, that also allows easier retrieval of items stored on pallets anywhere in those racks.
Remember to also have some industrial shelving on hand. That can be used for customers who need space for smaller containers with raw materials, or finished goods that will not be shipped immediately. Some of those shelves could also contain bins that your customers could use to keep spare parts for manufacturing machinery.
- Lifting Equipment
Several types of lifting equipment will make it easier to unload, organize, and load all sorts of goods. Have at least one standard sized forklift that you can use to move goods into the pallet racks. It’s also good to check narrow aisle forklifts designs and choose one that will allow you to move around goods in tighter spaces. Remember that a pallet jack and a set of hand trucks will also be useful in terms of moving and organizing stored items that are coming in or being shipped out. If your warehouse is quite large, and you are looking for some additional storage solutions, you might consider going with vertical lift modules that can significantly improve your organization and efficiency.
- Cleaning Equipment
Warehouses need cleaning just like any other type of business operation. Along with basic wide-angle push brooms, consider having one or two All-lift industrial sweepers on hand. The sweepers will make it easier to remove any dirt or grime that’s tracked in and keep the floors free of anything that could cause an accident.
- Dock Equipment
The dock area needs as much attention as the warehouse interior. Invest in dock boards that can easily fill in the space between the dock and the open end of a trailer. An adjustable ramp will also help when the trailer or flatbed is considerably taller than the dock itself. Remember to clean the dock surface so a forklift can be used to load and unload pallets without losing traction and possibly damaging the goods.
There are other equipment options that the typical warehouse operation requires. Make a list of what you will need and spend some time finding the right supplier. Once you have everything in place, invite prospective clients to tour your facility. They will soon see why you are the right one to protect their valuable goods.
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