You might need to relocate warehouses as your business grows. Moving warehouses to a new location and altering distribution processes can be overwhelming and chaotic but with the right organizing, detailed planning and execution it becomes easier than you might think. Below are the top tips to consider while relocating your warehouse:

Evaluate the effectiveness and layout of your facility

When you’re relocating you have the opportunity to overhaul your current warehouse’s layout for efficiency and storage optimization. If there are any errors in the warehouse then, this is your chance to straighten them out and make the company’s workflow as efficient as possible. Note the error you want to improve the more the planning, more effective the setup in the future ensuring you have proper size for forklift operation.

Sort out your current inventory

Before moving warehouses it is best to sort through and take stock of your inventory beforehand. Warehouse relocation is costly as well as time consuming therefore organizing the things that you are going to move and dispose of any inventory that is aged or unusable.

Plan your shipment & deliveries

Moving can be time consuming, therefore it’s important to make a plan beforehand on how the deliveries will take place during the time. You may want to receive lighter deliveries during this period and ensure the shipments scheduled for a delivery that need to go out are marked clearly.

Make a personnel plan for the necessary man hours

During a relocation, calculate how many hours employees in the company will need to take on different roles and responsibilities towards the standard warehouse operations. It’s crucial to determine exactly how operations are going to run the smoothest during the move and allocate management resources accordingly. Make sure to communicate with your employees about all necessary information and provide everyone with an agenda on what needs to be done and when as well as map out the expectation of your employees.

Decide whether to reuse racking

Warehouse racking relocation is hard, leaving behind existing racking and other storage systems therefore you need to consider whether you would want to buy racking systems to meet the future design requirements or if you are going to use the current pallet racks and shelving. Make sure that you have enough vertical clearance if you’re using the existing racking system.

Check the leases, permits and building codes

Not having the correct paperwork can cause significant delays to your move in your warehouse. Check with proper governing bodies or your local municipalities to ensure you have the correct paperwork and requirements prior to your move. It’s crucial to be up to date with building codes and safety procedures before moving warehouses.

Watch out for theft

Establish a standard for packing everything safely during warehouse relocation clearance. To keep your products from being stolen, assign your team members to certain roles on top of inventory and make sure they know the risks when moving zones, check everything that’s coming in and going out.

Be careful for the damage

There’s a chance of pallet racks or shelving getting bumps and dents during the move caused by the poor repacking. To reduce these risks from occurring, make sure to inform your employees to take a bit longer but have everything arrive safely at the new location.

Warehouse relocation efficiency and safety maintenance

Warehouse efficiency is linked to warehouse relocation safety and is an especially important part of warehouse design. Having a regulated, productive workplace and periodic maintenance can minimize the risk of potential damage and reduce maintenance costs.

• Training is important
  Before using any machinery or equipment employees must be trained properly on operating the equipment and as well as safety procedures from forklifts to routers. Retraining can also help assure the employees to follow good work practices and are aware that any updated technologies such as automated guided forklifts can also be helpful for improving health, safety and productivity. Employees should also be trained in general safety and first aid from forklifts to routers, and you can also conduct safety programs to incentivize your workspace and encourage employees to uphold safety standards to improve operational efficiency. It will also help reduce the risk of accidents and their associated losses.
• Safety gears & precautions
  Ensure safety equipment, such as helmets, gloves, ear plugs, industrial boots, etc., are used at all times in the warehouse. Make sure that the necessary hazard mitigation equipment, such as sprinkler systems, fire extinguishers, etc., are installed in your warehouses to prevent any compromising incidents from occurring. If you identify any risk zones, use measures like grip tape, anti-slip tape, threaded floor plates and other safety equipment to keep employees from slips, trips, falls, and other incidents.
• Have a maintenance plan
  Malfunctioning or improperly maintained equipment should be regularly maintained in order to not disrupt your workflow. Creating a maintenance schedule is the greatest safeguard against unpredictable, dangerous parts of equipment, such as hydraulic filters, wear rings, mechanical seals etc., in order to keep the equipment functioning properly. The more equipment you own the harder it is to keep it maintained. Therefore, carry out inspections and monitor the condition of your equipment to keep them in good working condition.