If your business is looking at ways to make its operations more cost-effective, going vertical might be the perfect solution for you.
Maximizing warehouse space utilization is among the main priorities for companies — and a vertical storage system is the best way to do so. Vertical storage can help you decrease storage rental costs, improve visibility and handling of inventory, and, ultimately, boost customer satisfaction.
This article outlines 6 benefits of vertical storage systems that will help maximize your company’s storage efficiency.
What are Vertical Storage Systems?
Vertical storage systems operate by height, making use of vertical space rather than horizontal space. In general, these vertical storages come in two types — the vertical carousel system and the vertical lift module.
These storage systems are commonly used in industrial, automotive, and healthcare warehouses; they are generally completely automated and represent a great solution thanks to their customizability and the numerous benefits they bring to warehouse operations and processes.
The Advantages of Integrating a Vertical Storage System
From maximizing storage density and minimizing the use of floor space, implementing a vertical storage system allows your business to utilize your warehouse space to its full potential. Read on to discover the benefits of a vertical storage system.
#1 Maximized Vertical Space & Recovered Floor Space
The most significant advantage of vertical storage systems is substantial space savings. By going vertical, your warehouse regains the much-needed floor space and makes use of the vertical one.
The more space you use vertically, the more you are able to free up horizontally — meaning you can find more room for staff activities, item storing/handling, or any other warehouse operations.
Acquiring more space within your existing warehouse means no additional spending on renting/purchasing bigger premises.
#2 Increased Operational Efficiency
Besides being a more cost-effective solution than expanding to a new warehouse, a vertical storage system benefits your business by increasing the efficacy and profitability of your storage operations.
Vertical storage allows fast and easy access to and retrieval of any item, reducing downtime and ensuring your warehouse operations run smoothly.
In addition, vertical systems leave more floor space for warehouse machinery, item packing, staff activities, etc., thus, aggregating all warehouse processes within a single location, instead of splitting them across multiple sites.
#3 Improved Warehouse Ergonomics
Workplace ergonomics is essentially about planning a working environment in which staff can work efficiently and safely.
In warehouses, storage has one of the key roles in ensuring maximum ergonomics, as employees need to access items quickly and harmlessly.
Vertical storage systems substantially contribute to warehouse ergonomics. In terms of efficacy, these systems make more sense of the storage space available, ease the access and handling of stored items, and eliminate the need for common workplace injury-causing activities like stooping, reaching, and heavy lifting.
#4 Increased Safety of Employees & Items
According to warehouse safety statistics, as many as 20,000 workers suffer workplace injuries in forklift accidents alone.
For the US warehousing industry, non-fatal injury costs amount to $84.04 million per week, including direct and indirect expenses such as medical bills, damage to equipment, loss of production time, and replacement staff training.
Vertical storage is designed to minimize the possibility of items falling off racks and boasts automated systems for item picking and handling that ensure workers’ safety during operations.
In terms of product safety, vertical storage systems can provide access control overview via passwords or other identification methods to support the warehouse’s existing security measures.
#5 Improved Accuracy & Error Reduction
Vertical storage systems usually come with a dedicated software solution that helps improve inventory management.
From organizing and storing, to locating and picking items, vertical system software can take over much of the legwork, maximizing the efficiency and accuracy of operations.
Automation eliminates the possibility of human error, streamlines warehouse operations, and allows employees to focus on more creative tasks.
#6 Customizable Storage Solutions
Depending on the needs and requirements of your warehouse, vertical storage manufacturers can provide you with a system that boasts completely custom configurations.
Vertical storage can easily be reconfigured and tailored to respond to the needs of your stored products, the requirements of operations and employees, and bypass potential warehouse limitations.
Besides the high physical customizability, the software running these vertical storage systems can be specially designed based on the types of stored products and unique warehouse operations.
To Sum Up
On average, warehouses operate at only 20% of their total space at any given moment. That is far behind a warehouse’s maximum potential, especially considering that the majority of that is floor space, with the vertical one being entirely unutilized.
Going vertical offers great potential and many benefits for warehouses that seek ways to make their operations more cost-effective.
A vertical storage system is a perfect solution for ensuring the greater safety of workers and goods, streamlining warehouse operations, and minimizing downtime caused by errors and a lack of organization.
Finally, vertical storage systems are extremely customizable — both physically and software-wise — providing your warehouse business with a wide array of tailored configurations to meet all your company’s needs.
