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How COVID-19 Will Affect Warehouse Technologies in 2021 and Beyond

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COVID-19 saw a dramatic change in the way that people interact and shop across the globe. Few sectors felt the wake of COVID-19 as hard as the warehousing and restaurant sectors. But while restaurants saw their demands dramatically decrease, many warehouses could scarcely keep up with demand. 2021 and the post-COVID world is going to see warehouse technologies changing.

In General, Warehouses Will Be Doing More With Less

Warehouses are going to continue seeing increased activity as people continue to make purchases online. Many people simply got used to having everything delivered to them during COVID and they aren’t going to go back to the shops. Brick-and-mortar retailers are likely to see decreased sales while online stores and eCommerce will see increased sales. But to keep their profit margins and logistics tight, warehouses are going to be meeting a lot of this demand through automation and process improvement, rather than increased hiring.

Many Industries Will Turn Toward Warehousing in Light of eCommerce

Grocery stores, as an example, are starting to move toward cold warehousing services rather than brick-and-mortar stores that can be browsed. Stores that have traditionally operated as a showroom, such as appliance stores or even mattress stores, may find themselves turning into warehouses and focusing on their eCommerce presence. This will again increase the need for warehouses and reliable warehouse technology.

Companies Will Be Providing Workers With AR Capabilities

While many warehouses are going to automate, they will likely still rely upon workers for key processes. These workers are very likely to be using heads-up displays, augmented reality, sensors, and other always-present IoT technologies. AR can lead pickers directly to items, keep a running tally of the items already picked, and track core metrics about user performance. Augmented reality can help individuals not only complete their jobs faster but avoid error. AR was already moving toward this direction, but the need for faster, more accurate operations during COVID-19 will likely fuel adoption.

Machine Learning and Simulations Will Be Used to Improve Operations

Logistics becomes a real problem when warehouses start to do so much more. Warehouses and logistics and shipping companies in general are going to be increasingly using machine learning and simulations to improve upon their processes and operations. Warehouses can create complete clones of themselves inside of a virtual space to simulate how different inventorying, picking, and shipping operations could work, thereby identifying the methods that are most effective without having to test the solutions out in real-time.

While the pandemic may eventually wane, the consequences of it may amplify. COVID served as an accelerant, forcing many changes to occur faster than they otherwise would — but these were changes that were already in the works.

Benefits of Adding a Mezzanine to Your Warehouse

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A mezzanine is a raised floor, typically made from stainless steel, that can quickly get installed into a warehouse. The primary function of a mezzanine is to create excess storage space to accommodate an influx of goods, new releases, or seasonal flows.

Through the addition of a mezzanine, warehouses can incorporate new platforms, additional tiers of storage, and convenient access to new products. Let’s look at a few other ways a newly installed mezzanine can benefit a functioning commercial warehouse.

Create Storage Space Without Excess Costs

There are a number of reasons to expect an influx of orders at your business. Seasonal holidays, new product releases, and even special orders for specific clients can mandate product availability. When your current warehouse begins to feel overfull, it can help to install mezzanine spaces.

More affordable and accessible than simply moving to a new space, a mezzanine can be a cost-effective way to adjust product flow for temporary or long-term projects.

Increase Safety & Warehouse Efficiency

One of the quickest ways to create a dangerous workplace is by leaving clutter around. Clutter can create accidents such as trips and falls while also damaging your goods. A mezzanine is an unobtrusive, easy-to-install storage solution that helps to increase safety and workplace efficiency. Additionally, mezzanines offer a great overhead view of the workspace below, giving you the chance to properly assess your employees and operations.

Mezzanines are ideal for putting products out of the way in a safe yet accessible space. KACO Warehouse Outfitters has a selection of mezzanine products that can help introduce more fluid warehouse operations!

Maximize Your Vertical Space

Even if you have a large warehouse, the odds are good that you aren’t maximizing your available vertical space. Vertical storage solutions are ideal for businesses with excess inventory or plan to introduce new products in the future. When you can build vertically, it is easier to store items without needed to install extra storage.

Additionally, most modern warehouses are designed with excess space around the ceiling, creating extra height allowance. With this flexible space available, why not take advantage of what you are already paying for? Discuss catwalks and mezzanine during your next meeting with a warehouse outfitter to see how you can save more space in the future.

About KACO Warehouse Outfitters

Based out of Phoenix, AZ, KACO Warehouse Outfitters is proud to offer high-caliber products, complete warehouse outfitting services, and unbeatable prices for your design and installation requirements. From ergonomics to permits and installation, the team at KACO Warehouse Outfitters is ready to serve your company with winning solutions.

For more than 30 years, KACO Warehouse Outfitters has earned a sterling reputation for its full-service approach to quality shelving and storage solutions. To request a consultation or to learn more about the goods and services available, call KACO today!

Tips to Optimize Your Warehouse Organization

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Warehousing solutions are among the most important priorities for distributors and wholesale suppliers. From handling the movement of orders safely and efficiently all the way to grappling with an influx of new products, ensuring warehouse efficiency is one of the most important aspects that management should focus on.

Let’s look at a few simple tips that can help expand your warehouse, optimize your workflow efficiency, all while providing a safe experience for clients, colleagues, and customers alike.

Increase Warehouse Efficiency With These Organization Tips

According to a report put forth by the National Retail Federation in 2018, more than $46.8 billion in losses were reported due to shrinkage, a term used to describe lost earnings due to waste or theft. An inefficient warehouse that is not optimized or organized will contribute handily toward those loss totals.

So, how can a wholesale supplier or distributor ensure that their warehouse is organized, efficient, and maximized for effectiveness? Let’s look at three simple organizational tips that can help.

Take Stock of Your Warehouse Layout

There are many ways to organize a warehouse but there is only ONE version of your business. Making sure that your warehouse meets the specific needs of your company is of the utmost importance and that typically starts by assessing the floor plan of the building.

The ideal warehouse will offer a range of benefits through a flexible floor plan including:

  • Available Storage Flexibility
  • Plenty of Working Space
  • Minimize Foot Traffic To/From Stations
  • Creating Ease of Access for Stored Goods

Consider working with a team like KACO Warehouse Outfitters when it comes time to look over your floor plan.

Install New Warehouse Racks & Shelving

Whether your business is beholden to seasonal changes in supply and demand, or you simply need more space, adding new shelving racks and shelving storage solutions can solve plenty of problems.  When you work with a team like KACO to optimize your warehouse storage solutions, you’ll come across a range of potential products including the following:

  • Boltless Shelving
  • Widespan Bulk Shelving
  • Wire / Steel Shelving
  • Mezzanines, Pallet Racks, & Partitions

Just like any other aspect of life, the storage solutions you require today will change based on your industry. Don’t think that the same storage solutions for one business will correlate directly to yours. Request a quote from a shelving supplier in your area to see what direction you should go with your new warehouse racks and shelving units.

Optimize Your Picking / Packing Process

Items that end up in a warehouse will go through quite the adventure before they arrive at your front step. First arriving in the warehouse, these products are then sorted. Once sorted upon an assembly line, products are then distributed to the proper location where they’ll be repackaged and shipped out to consumers.

Between every step, a pair of actual human hands will be relied upon to keep the package moving. Time can be lost due to disorganized warehouses and a lack of proper planning.

Consider the following steps:

  • Minimize Travel Time Between Picking and Packing Locations
  • Popular Items Should Be Situated Closest to Packing
  • Update to Newer Item Picking Technology (RF Readers, Voice Picking)

Upgrade Your Warehouse at KACO Warehouse Outfitters!

KACO Warehouse Outfitters has been serving Phoenix and the surrounding areas for more than thirty years. Committed to high-quality customer service and positive employee growth, KACO Warehouse endeavors to make every client interaction a positive one. From upgraded storage products to tear-down and installation services, KACO does it all.

Reasons to Hire KACO Warehouse to Optimize Your Warehouse

  • 30+ Years of Quality Professional Experience
  • Owns and Operates Local Warehouse
    • Competitive Pricing
    • Convenient Material Access
    • Quick Turnarounds
  • All-in-One Warehousing Solutions

Head to KACO Warehouse Outfitters today to book your consultation!

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Rethinking You Warehouse Design? Consider This!

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As a commercial or industrial warehouse owner, you are aware that your needs can change and vary based upon the challenges before you. Optimizing warehouse storage solutions are integral to running a tight ship in a fierce and competitive industry. To meet the challenges that are required of an industrial or commercial warehouse, we must optimize our warehouse for our experience.

When Should A Warehouse Get Redesigned

Warehouse operations are often long-term investments, so we must make sure that they are primed to meet our long-term goals. When it comes time to consider a warehouse redesign with Arizona’s leading warehouse outfitters, we must first ask and answer a few questions.

First, let’s take a look at a few common reasons for modifying the layout of a warehouse.

  • Inadequate Safety Practices — Warehouses are beholden to considerable safety practices and regulations. If a company is falling short in this area, a redesign may be necessary not just for efficiency, but also for the safety of everyone around.
  • Additional Storage Requirements — Some companies will vary their supply needs based on the ebb and flow of the season. Additional outside factors may suggest the need for additional storage, such as booming sales or a new marketing campaign.  Also, if your aisles and pallets are already filling up, you might need be space anyway.
  • New Product Introduction — Whenever a new product is brought to market, the storage needs must be ready to accommodate it. If you are introducing a new line or series of products, consider prepping now with a warehouse redesign.
  • Introduction of New Equipment — New operational equipment can dramatically change the workspace requirements of an entire warehouse. The introduction of pallet racks, conveyors, or even heavy lifting tools may demand a larger footprint.

Key Advantages to an Optimized Warehouse Design

It is easy to see how an optimized warehouse redesign can positively benefit our operations. With that being said, this can also become a costly procedure.

There are advantages both financially and professionally that can arrive with an optimized warehouse layout, so let’s take a closer look at how KACO Outfitters can help.

  • Optimize Workflow and Company Logistics
  • Boost Current and Future Storage Space
  • Safer and More Employee Friendly Workspace
  • Reduce Expenses Due to Inefficient Storage Practices

Maximizing a warehouse for success not just today but tomorrow is the goal at KACO Warehouse Outfitters. To tackle any of the problems or solutions posed above, let’s get on the phone with professionals who can help.

Call KACO Warehouse Outfitters For A+ Stocking and Storage Solutions

For the better part of 30 years, KACO Warehouse Outfitters has been supplying storage solutions to satisfied customers throughout the state of Arizona. With a focus on high-quality shelving and premium storage products, KACO Warehouse Outfitters is delighted to offer unbeatable prices and outstanding customer support to clients in need.

KACO Warehouse Outfitters stocks all supplies in its local warehouse to provide fast-acting customer service with in-house delivery, installation, and design operations. Schedule a free consultation today at KACO Outfitters!

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How the Coronavirus Changed Warehouse Management and Design

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COVID-19 seemed to have come out of nowhere. In fact, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, warehouses were pressed to keep workers safe. They needed to stay open, but they needed to do it safely. In the beginning, no one knew how hard this pandemic would hit, but there was time to learn what worked and what didn’t work and warehouses are now better able to design a system that keeps inventory flowing and workers safe.

Warehouses across the country, including KACO Warehouse in Arizona, have had to rethink their business models to stop COVID-19 from spreading in the workplace. For example, warehouses have altered their design to accommodate social distancing. Without these measures, warehouses would not be able to stay open. Other ways warehouses are staying safe is by mask-wearing, temperature checks, and taking a fresh look at sick leave policies. This safety issue has been going on since March and since then, warehouses have implemented a number of safety precautions, one of which is rigorously cleaning tractors and forklifts, something that will likely continue once the pandemic is gone.

When it comes to redesigning warehouse space, it is all about how the workers navigate the warehouse and maintain six feet of social distancing while they’re working or on break and technology is helping. There are algorithms that know when employees are maintaining social distancing in warehouse aisles, along with cameras that are linked to a central hub. This technology is not there to spy on workers but to use algorithms to create safe routes for workers to follow when storing or accessing inventory. This technology goes so far to know when an employee is not working up to their capacity, which could be a sign they’re sick.

All of this came at a time when e-commerce began to skyrocket and that’s even before the holidays hit. With people in lockdown and not out shopping, we saw a huge spike in demand in 2020. In order to keep up with this demand, warehouses needed to implement safety measures and quickly. E-commerce sales before 2020 even ended jumped from 80 million to over 200 million. And the trend is not slowly down. Purchasing online is now the first option for many people locked down and needing supplies.

With no sign of the pandemic slowing down, the new safety measures implemented in warehouses across the country will remain for the unforeseeable future. There’s no reason to scrap them anytime soon. For most warehouses across the country, these new business models have worked. Consumers have no idea what has had to go on behind the scenes to make sure they received their delivery. Warehouses have had to make a lot of changes to stay in business, but it has certainly been worth it both for the companies and or consumers.

 

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Dynamic vs. Static Storage

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When planning the warehouse design of your facility, it’s important to take the time to determine the best layout. The warehouse design plays a critical role in operations. It can mean the difference between profit and loss. You want the design to be conducive to improving productivity and efficiency. You may even want to consider using a professional to assist you in the planning of your warehouse design. Distribution and warehouse center layouts include four elements: static storage, dynamic storage, receiving and shipping. Typically, these elements are laid out according to the space of the facility. Handling equipment and product are also considered in the layout of a warehouse.

The static storage space in a warehouse is where products are stored. And products are generally stored on pallets. The dynamic storage area is called the “forward pick.” That’s because this is the area where products are picked for fulfillment. Once items in the dynamic storage area are selected, they are quickly replenished.  Several factors of the dynamic storage area often include different types of racking to lessen overall pick time. It’s also called the pick module. The pick module is designed o the material handling equipment. For example, first-out pallet storage may be accessed by forklifts. Within this configuration, a selective rack may be included.

Also known as the reserve storage area, the static area is used to reserve palletized storage. For products that need higher selectivity, a drive-through rack may be a good option.

It’s important to take into consideration both static storage and dynamic storage when planning the layout of your warehouse. And the through-flow needs to also be considered. U-shaped warehouses are very common/ In this layout, receiving and shipping docks are right next to each other. I-shaped and L-shaped warehouse product flow layouts provide larger sorting and storage areas for both receiving and shipping docks.

Racking System Types for Dynamic and Static Storage Areas

The types of racking systems that you choose for the dynamic and static storage areas will be dependent on the needs for product flow. These systems come in two groups, “first-in, first-out” and “last-in, first-out.” The racking types that you use for both the dynamic and static storage areas of the warehouse or distribution center should be chosen for your product operations. Racking systems can be separated into two groups: “first-in, first-out (FIFO)” and “last-in, first-out (LIFO)”. The FIFO rack system works well when rapid stock rotation, high turnover rate and products with an expiration date are used. For example, food storage would require FIFO racking systems. Options of this racking system include pallet flow, drive-through, carton flow and selective. LIFO racking systems work well for an inventory that has a long shelf life. It also works well for items stored in large quantities. Options of this racking system include push back, double-deep selective and drive-in.