Three Reasons to Upgrade Your Warehouse Conveyor & Storage Systems

In today's fast-paced, e-commerce driven material handling and distribution center world, finding the most productive and efficient way to conduct business while maximizing your ROI is paramount. Using today's technology to organize and operate your warehouse with conveyor and storage solutions is a must.

Owners and managers don't have the luxury of seeing plenty of skilled workers lining up for jobs. Nobody has time to watch employees hunt through shelving and cubbyholes to fill orders. Available real estate for expanding operations is either not available or out of reach. The face of the material handling and DC warehouse world has undergone a major change - and it behooves smart decision makers to boost their game to keep up with these changes. 

At Southwest Materials Handling Company, we offer a free site survey to help you find ways to make your material handling and DC warehouse space work to the best and highest level. Our professional and experienced team has years of experience in warehouse design and we are up-to-date on evolving challenges and solutions.

There are many ways operations have shifted over the last few years - and particularly during the last year and continuing through the foreseeable future. As much as we might wish for things to go back to the easier and mellower pace of the past, it's not going to happen. But as things have changed on one side of the material handling world, technology has been changing and improving on the other side to offer ways to not only keep up, but to surmount and conquer the new world order. Have you been keeping up with the ways new and innovative technology can help address some of your pain points? Let's take a look at some of today's warehouse challenges and how they can be addressed and solved with installing the right conveying and storage systems. 

1. Labor Concerns 

For several years the material handling and DC warehouse industry has been facing a shrinking pool of skilled and unskilled workers. It's an issue that needs to be addressed on several levels. Another concern with the labor force is learning ways to alleviate workers comp claims. Putting the proper conveyor and storage solutions in your material handling and DC warehouse setting can have a direct impact in both of these areas.   Picture this: Instead of using one of your valued employees to move products and boxes from point A to point B over and over again, you can put that employee in charge of something more vital and use a conveyor system to move your product and boxes. Warehousing is the new frontier for automated and integrated technology, so you can make the best use of your warehouse space - and allow your employees to perform other tasks - by installing conveyor systems.   Similarly, a human body can only perform repetitive tasks for so long before incurring damage to muscles, tendons and more. Part of your company's financial payout is for insurance - and insurance is partly based on number and severity of workers comp claims. Taking advantage of a conveyor system that puts the repetitive chores on the back of automation, or robotics, rather than your employees will boost your bottom line.  

2. Organization Concerns

In these days of rapid e-commerce delivery, nobody has time to waste looking for product that needs to be picked and shipped almost as soon as a consumer has ordered it online. You aren't only moving product out much faster and in greater numbers, you are bringing product into the warehouse in larger and larger numbers. If you are going to stay competitive, it's paramount that your warehouse is organized to the point where an order picker can lay their hands on specific product instantly.

That's why it's so important to take cube utilization to the highest level possible by applying the proper and best warehouse storage and conveyor systems to automate and integrate your operations. When the product is moving in and out smoothly, you are making the most of available productivity and efficiency. 

3. Space Concerns

Like most, you've probably noticed how hot the real estate market has become. Sure, it's mostly residential, but any company that is taking advantage of the on-fire e-commerce market is looking for ways to expand their material handling and DC warehouse space. Since it's not always possible - or desired - to have a larger footprint, many savvy decision makers are learning how to make better use of existing warehouse space, without breaking the budget.

That's where cube utilization really shines. It's all about taking advantage of today's technology to pick and choose what can be incorporated for your unique situation. Conveyors come in many shapes and sizes, as well as designs that can be custom to your warehouse, such as on the floor or running overhead - or a mixture of both. Storage solutions can take the form of proper shelving and racking to utilizing mezzanines and modular buildings. 

Conveyor Configurations 

There are a multitude of varying conveyor systems, as well as custom-designed conveyors to fit specific applications, including:

• Chain Driven Conveyors
• Gravity Roller Conveyors
• Belt Conveyors
• Vertical Storage Carousels
• Skatewheel Conveyors
• Slat Conveyors
• Monorail Conveyors

That list is just a sampling of the different types of conveyors available. Some are specific to the floor and some to overhead. Some can be used in both configurations. At Southwest Materials Handling Company, we can not only help you decide the best conveyor system for your application, we can custom design and build a system for your unique situation. 

Storage Solutions 

With the rapid pace of e-commerce, the ability to bring product in and ship it out quickly and in an organized fashion is paramount. There are plenty of storage solutions that can bring your warehouse up to the level it needs to be at to accomplish your goals. Some of those storage options include:

• Pallet Storage
• Racking Storage
• Mezzanines
• Modular Rooms

With the right mixture of racking and other storage solutions for your unique application, it's entirely feasible to integrate organization and efficiency into your material handling and DC warehouse. And don't forget taking inventory - when everything has a place and everything is in its place, taking inventory doesn't have to be so painful.

In today's warehouse world, everyone is becoming accustomed to moving faster and more efficiently. By automating and integrating your operation with the best mix of conveyors and storage, you'll be proactively positioning your company to rise above the competition.

Don't forget that Southwest Materials Handling Company offers a free site survey so you can take advantage of our experience and knowledge when deciding to upgrade your material handling and distribution center warehouse. Contact us today to find out more.