A warehouse full of future

Setting up a warehouse efficiently is no easy task. A warehouse quickly stores ten to even 100,000 products. Every day, hundreds of orders arrive and there are thousands of picking moments. The right layout is therefore crucial to save costs. At Manutan, a project team is ready to advise and assist you. They make an inventory of your wishes and give expert advice for a future-oriented total solution tailored to the layout of your warehouse or storage space. An in-house assembly team then ensures that everything is installed ready to use.

With a platform floor, also called a storey or floor, the area of the room doubles in one fell swoop. You can also use it to create additional space for a canteen, archive, office or meeting room.

A lot of companies, including those in the metalworking sector, have an overcrowded warehouse. In many cases, this is due to inefficient space design. However, a cluttered warehouse not only causes lost time and reduced productivity, but also leads to employee annoyance and accidents. "Starting to work efficiently and increasing productivity actually starts with the organization of the workplace. For example, it is important to first completely clean up the warehouse. You can, for example, use the 5S method (separate, sort, clean, systematize or standardize and maintain) or other alternatives," states Christophe Van Bondt of the Manutan project team. "Cleaning up, however, is not enough. For example, it is important to manage inventory smartly through warehouse management software (wms) or through the kanban method, where inventory is replenished just-in-time based on demand. Well-thought-out walking and picking routes save warehouse workers a lot of unnecessary mileage, and color coding clearly indicates the function of an area, spot or product. Last but not least, the choice of the right material is crucial for an efficient warehouse layout."

Scaffolding and platforms

Warehouse space is precious, so it is important to use every m³ as efficiently as possible. Volume, weight and type of goods determine which material you best use for this purpose, and the two most commonly used systems are pallet racks and platforms. "A platform, also called a storey or floor, doubles the area of the space in one fell swoop and is used for a variety of applications. Some firms want a platform floor that is enclosed with mesh walls to store products safely and under lock and key, but is also demountable to put back up somewhere else. Other firms want a platform to use it as an additional space for canteen, archive, even office or meeting space," Manutan's project specialist explains. "Pallet racks are space-saving and you can use different types of pallets, such as the versatile and inexpensive classic wooden pallets, plastic pallets with a very long lifespan, metal pallets with an exceptionally high load-bearing capacity, as well as inexpensive and lightweight pallets made of cardboard and pallet boxes, special storage bins with the base of a pallet." As an expert in storage and warehouses, Manutan offers a vast range of products. In addition to platforms and pallet racking, you can also go there for a lot of other racking: from shelf, flow-through and cantilever racking to vertical, archive, safety, food and tire racking and much more. In addition, the specialist offers the right pallets, boards, support arms, bins, barrels or containers, and in the e-shop you will also find roller conveyors, conveyor belts and other transport systems, roll containers, pallet trucks, work platforms ... and much more.

Pallet racks are space-saving. Moreover, you can choose from a wide range of pallets made of wood, plastic, metal or even cardboard.(Image: www.wilcovandijen.nl)

Advice from specialists

Manutan is ready to advise and assist customers. "In life, many things are taken for granted, but that does not apply to the layout of a warehouse," Van Bondt concludes. "Our specialists take a thorough inventory of your requirements and provide advice and a future-oriented total solution tailored to your needs. However, remember this rule: A well-furnished warehouse is never finished and it comes down to always listening carefully to the people on the shop floor. Also keep in mind that certain substances should not be stored side by side."